Lies and Deceit
by WindStar
Summary: Sequel to On The Three: Now that the Abbey has been shut down, the Demolition Boys are running a school of all of the students that lived there. Only someone has plans for them, and when they leave for this new mission they just might not come back alive.
1. The Beginning Of Everything

**Windstar: **I can't believe that I actually managed to get this whole thing done on time. After working furiously to complete this story I can honestly say that while it isn't completely done, by the end of the month I'm ninety five percent sure that it will be done. Right now we're looking at well over three hundred pages long. It's currently sitting on Chapter Twenty-One and it is only beginning a new arch. Lies and Deceit is going to be a doozy of a fic and so I need to take the time now to write a very good summary for it because with a word count limit it probably sounds terrible:

**Summary: **

Years after the rigged World Championships, the Demolition Boys find themselves running not only a school of Abbey boys who are trying to fit into society, but also missions for the ISA. Everything ran smoothly for a long while, before multiple disasters start occurring all climaxing when Anna Jones vanishes off the face of the earth. The only thing left behind is a note that says that she wants nothing more to do with them or their school, and that she simply wants to be left alone. Heartbroken, Tala tries to find her with no luck. (**see Operation Desert Storm) **Almost six years later however, new information starts arising. Someone is using the Black Dranzer program to break into the ISA and the BBASS. Someone's leaving a series of complicated hacks and back hacks and it's all to get information that shouldn't be released to the public...Believing it to be Anna, the Freedom Officers (Demolition Boys all grown up) embark on a mission to not only find their friend, but also stop a new evil that is threatening to shake the grounds of the Earth once again. Tangled in this web of lies and this path of deceit are people long thought to have been dead, and friends who really were foes.

**On The Three: **This story is a _sequel _to On the Three. Because of this, a great deal of events and characters may not make much sense. I _strongly _urge you all to read OTT before you read LAD. I have to admit that there is more OC involvement in some chapters than actual characters. And some actual characters may seem like OCs when they're undercover. Because of this you _need _to read OTT to understand the depths of the situations that they're in. Characters may very well seem angery and egotistical and without udnerstanding their background it will be difficutl to process.

As a recap: The Demolition Boys purposefully lost the World Championships to Tyson because they were running an operation for the International Security Agency. Their boss, Tristen Michaels was killed by an unknown faction the day of the tournament. Tala Ivanov is Kai's older brother. He was adopted when Kai was two and Ivanov is his father's last name. After an accident in which their parents were killed, Kai started using his mother's maiden name of Hiwatari.

Kai's real name is Sacha Ivanov. "Kai" is a nickname Voltaire called him. Tala's real name is Yuri "Luka" Tala Valkov Ivanov. His birth mother named him Yuri Valkov, upon meeting Sacha he called him "Luka" and because of his adoption he's part of the Ivanov family. His birth parents were Marina and Boris Balkov.

Marina was respnosible for the creation of the Abbey and Boris followed her orders. They had one other son - Kiril Valkov. Kiril was four when the Abbey was taken down. Not much is known about him other then Tala was asked to take care of him before his mother died.

The Demolition Boys have shown that they have an extaordinary amount of control over their bitbeasts. Because of the elements their bitbeasts rule over they too can manage some of their skills. Such as using Dranzer to send fire towards people Kai doesn't like or simply incapable of being burnt.

Anna Ottilia Jones is the name of a girl who was friends with Kai when he left the Abbey. They worked together in the ISA. She was Tala's girlfriend for a long while. Her parents abandoned her in Russia before disappearing. On one mission to America, Kai and Anna were responsible for killing her uncle - a known member of the mafia and suspected child molester. In retaliation, her family was responsible for killing her adoptive father Korg Jones who helped create a copy of the Black Dranzer Server. Tala and Kai responded by killing the man who killed Korg.

The Black Dranzer Server is run and operated by a computer system. With the help of Black Dranzer and using her personality as a guide, one can visualize hacks made into the cyber world and take control of any computer. The goal was to have Kai pilot the server and dismantle all of the government's weaponry and computer systems so that when Boris sent his students out with their bitbeasts they could easily take over a country one at a time.

Anna and Korg worked together to create the Black Dranzer Server Two (BDS2) which is another version of the Black Dranzer Server that doesn't need the bitbeast to control it. They made it to combat the BDS2 if the need ever arose. It never did.

Christoper Hughes is the leader of the BBA Secret Service (BBASS) no one likes him. He's usually called "Miss. Chris" because it's nicer then saying he's a "_Mistake" _

**The Pulse: **

Damion Fratello is an old actor who looked after Anna and Tala when they were hiding out in Italy. After shooting Anna on Boris's orders, Tala fell into a tailspin. Fratello looked after him and helped him get his feet back on the ground.

The Pulse takes place in the middle of OTT and while you don't need to read it to understand either story, it's just a helpful addition to the series.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Beyblading or it's affiliates. I own only the characters that do not appear in the series, as well as anything that is odd or unusual and has not been seen before. The black dranzer server is mine. The nicknames are also mine. Everything else however, is not. Thank you.

**Wishes: **I hope you enjoy this story. So far I'm assuming it'll be around Twenty-five to thirty chapters long. Enjoy!

**Prologue:**

"_No, don't!"_

"_Adrien-"_

"_Stop, don't touch him!"_

"_Adrien!" _

"_Put your hands on your head and get down on the ground!"_

"_Adrien-"_

_His hands were grabbed and he was thrown to the floor, arms pinned behind his back. He looked around, and stared at the still brunette on the floor. _

"_Adrien!"_

"_Shut up, get him in the van!" Chaos._

_Chaos everywhere._

"_Adrien!"_

_He yelped as his head snapped against the side of the truck. He opened his eyes and stared up straight at the young woman who couldn't take her own eyes off of him. She reached out, but her hand was shoved away. A boot hit his face and his world went dark. _

_He blinked up at the cold ceiling, his wrists locked and his hair falling into his face, and he thought about the past._

It was raining. Raining and cold. Kai was in Japan visiting Tyson on a "Blade Breakers Reunion Party" at the BBA headquarters of Japan. Four years after that botched world championship that the Demolition Boys had thrown to save the world, Kai and his old team were on somewhat reasonable terms. Kai didn't spend much time with them, and they didn't pry into his life; but they spoke every so often and met up occasionally.

Kai didn't live in Japan anymore. He stayed in Russia and he lived with his family members there. Slowly rising to become the well known heir of Hiwatari Enterprises, Kai spent more time in the office then he did anywhere else. At twenty years old he was famous for so many things, and his connections with various international organizations was only the tip of the ice-burg.

He was quickly making it known just what knowledge he received over his strange upbringing. Master hacker and computer programmer, he was not afraid to do anything that the people in his corporation were dealing with. Whenever a problem arose anywhere, he went there and saw to it himself. If it was on a construction ground or in the office he worked tirelessly and without much care.

Tyson had went on to be world champion for all five years before he finally decided to retire from the game and instead run the BBA in Mr. Dickenson's stead. The fresh faced leader of the group made for some hard times as people tried to take advantage of him, but he was showing them that he wasn't some scatterbrained loser, and that he too could bring the beyblading spirit into the group just like Mr. Dickenson did.

After that first fated championship, Tyson had been so broken up about how he hadn't truly won, that he'd drafted the help of the Demolition Boys in order to train under them. He was convinced that they were better, and he wanted to excel. It hadn't taken all that long to convince them, especially when the Japanese boy was playing them for every card he had – including the 'you let us get kidnapped and could have gotten us all killed' card.

Tala had a bleeding heart at times and had let the teen live with them in Russia for a few months. He co-mingled with the various people on the Fortune Five-Hundred (F-Five) campus. As much as Tyson had improved though, he knew as well as everyone else on that campus that the only reason he'd made it those five years had been because the F-Fives had decided not to compete. Curiously enough, he'd retired the year the first batch had gotten their act together enough do so.

Max inherited his father and mother's jobs and after combining them he was working on a top of the line beyblade chain that sold almost anything and all of his new products and experiments were hitting the markets every week. He was more then capable of showing everyone just how well he was doing for himself. Kenny was his vice president and between the two of them they were making top of the line equipment.

As for Rei? He was back at home doing God knows what in the mountains with Mariah. No one asked, and no one told, at least not to Kai. He was currently typing away on his laptop in the corner. The object had been a fix at his side for the past few years, after the downfall of Bio-Volt he'd been promoted and that promotion carried a lot of responsibility. It meant that people were more then willing to email him at any time and ask his opinion on things. Running around with both HE and all his connections from the ISA on his tail while also having to deal with being a field officer for the F-Fives who were fast coming to the age where they were accepting missions left and right, he had very little free time for himself.

"Kai, put that damn thing away and come hang out with us!" Tyson shouted from the yard. He glanced up for a brief moment, sighing heavily. He didn't want to. He really didn't. He had more paperwork then he cared to imagine sitting on his desk back home, and he didn't have time to go around and play. He had work to do. Even if it made him a stickler, he still needed to do it, some people actually had world changing jobs.

"Give me a minute." He mumbled back anyway, glancing at the incoming email that was just itching to be opened. One more couldn't hurt. Opening it up he frowned. It was from one of the F-Officers.

After the battle with the Abbey, the six children who had been involved in Operation Freedom (and later Free-fall) had been given a new codename. Their team all received honors for their work, and they were given the title of F-Officers, the Fortune Officers. It was something that they all enjoyed and it was something that made them feel important about their work. With nearly unparalleled power, they'd been given field command on all missions pertaining to the Beyblading Division of the ISA. Outside of that if they were working other cases, they were just beneath the commanding officers of that unit. The world was indebted to them, and it was the least they could do to be promoted back.

_FO Hiwatari – FO Jones missing. FO Ivanov OTM to J HQ ETA 2200. : FO Brevda. _

Spencer's way with words was endearing as always, but the message was more disconcerting then that. He looked at his watch. 2130. If Tala was going to be at the Japanese Headquarters in thirty minutes, that didn't give him much time to ditch the brats. Sighing heavily he closed his laptop and stood up. He made it three feet towards the door when a shout caught his attention. Startled screams sounded next and there was chaos and crashes shortly after that (or perhaps commingled...it always sounded different when you were in the field...)

The laptop hit the ground before he could blink and he was running towards the shout. His hand dipped into his hip holster for the gun he kept beside his blade. He didn't have bullets though, he didn't need them. Dranzer hooked right into the side arm and he fired it without warning towards whatever it was that elicited the scream.

A blade hit Dranzer's in an instant just as the phoenix rose to defend the Blade Breakers a wolf appeared to defend its master. Kai called his blade back without even blinking. There in the dark, standing shivering and cold in the rain, was Tala. His wide eyes stared unflinching towards Kai who wanted to know just what the hell was going on.

"_Tala,_ you scared the crap out of us man!" Rei called as he placed a hand over his heart. Tyson was flat on his back, apparently he was the idiot who screamed and caused all the ruckus.

"Sorry." He didn't sound sorry. In fact, he sounded like he didn't care in the least. Kai took a step towards him, worry in his eyes.

"You alright?" He asked slowly, he thought back to the email. If Anna Jones had disappeared, of course Tala would be worried. The girl was practically married to the guy. In fact, Tala was more then ready to propse any day now.

"Anna...she's gone." Tala whispered softly. So softly that Kai almost didn't hear. He moved out into the rain, ignoring the questioning looks that the others were giving them. He didn't care about them right now. Tala needed someone.

"We'll find her." Kai said. He'd do anything if it meant his brother would be happy once again. The soaking wet red hair turned in the rain, sending droplets soaring as he shook his head. Vaguely Kai thought that he needed a haircut sometime soon, it was getting far to shaggy these days.

"No...we wont."

"What is it Luka?" He asked gently, using the name that he'd always called the brother of his heart. Luka, the name that had been bestowed upon the redhead when they'd first met. _Tala _had come later, by Voltaire in fact, but Luka had always been that first name that Kai could never resist calling him by. Just like how Sacha would always be _his _true name. The name his parents had given him. Voltaire had a way with picking out nicknames.

"She left." Kai's heart froze. He had to have misheard that. Anna was in love with Tala, she wouldn't just leave. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. "She left saying she could never be married to someone like me, that I'm a horrible father and she couldn't possibly have a family with me because our children deserve better. I'm too broken and too emotionless to stay with her." Kai's mouth dropped. That wasn't possible. Anna Jones could never have said anything like that. She couldn't have. It wasn't in her nature. It was impossible. Tala raised a shaking hand, and there it was. A letter written by Anna, it even included her code to prove that it was in fact her. It said everything that Tala had said she'd said, and more.

"This isn't from her. Something's wrong." Kai whispered. He refused to believe it. It was not possible. Anna Jones wasn't able to do something like this. It wasn't possible.

_But it was possible. The teen clenched his eyes tight as he pressed his fists to his face. Tala had been so broken after that. The rest of that year had been absolutely horrible. _

Kai gently moved the young man through Tyson's house, shaking his head when the others asked him if everything was alright. He pushed the redhead through the door to his room and he forced him to sit down. Tyson had followed them, worry on his face.

"Go get me some water alright Granger?" He asked and the younger man nodded quickly, vanishing within seconds.

He returned a few minutes later, and when he did he bit his lip. He didn't ever want to see the brave man before him as weak and as broken as he was now. Tala was _crying. _His head was tucked down and pressed against his brother's chest, and Kai was holding him softly, whispering in his ear. The older man was unable to be calmed though. He was crying so hard that he had no hope of calming down. The letter lay on the nightstand and Tyson picked it up, scanning it for a brief moment.

_Luka, _

_While I'm sure this may come as a shock to you, I mean this honestly and truly. I can no longer stay here with you. After four years of this, I can't take it any longer. At first, I hoped that things would get better, that you and I would be able to actually have a real relationship. I've seen the way you and Kiril have been with each other and committing my life to you through marriage or anything would mean that I would have to accept that that would be how you would treat any children we'll have together...and I cannot accept you to be a father to this child in that manner. Kiril was already here, there was nothing we could do to stop that...this child doesn't deserve you and neither do I. We deserve better. I've tried to bite my tongue and not say anything throughout this whole while, but I can no longer do so. Besides, this is far to dangerous of an environment to raise a child in. You wouldn't know anything about that would you? You've never cared at all about danger. _

_Goodbye,_

_Anna Giana Ottilia Jones Fortune Officer 006._

Tyson bit his lip. He couldn't believe what he'd just read, and upon reading it he felt sick. No wonder Tala was a mess. Looking at that letter and then looking at Tala it was obvious that everything had been swept completely out from under his feet.

Shit had been figuratively hitting the fan for the Fortune Officers for close to three months now. First, Ian found out that his newly found father had cancer and had fallen all but completely silent towards the F-Fives as he struggled to help out his family the best he could with the difficult change. He'd practically removed himself completely from their lives

Spencer had been on a mission not to long ago and his car had been rigged with a bomb. He'd barely made it out alive. He'd been thrown into a video store across the street and had been rushed to the hospital. The doctors said said that if he had been any later he would have been killed.

Bryan had gotten shot only two months later. He had been in the office of all places when someone had fired at him through the window. He too went to the hospital and was helped out. Tala had gotten into a car accident with Kiril and Kiril's best friend Adrien on the way to the hospital, they were mostly unharmed, but their car had been totalled.

Going to Italy had been in order to try to catch a breather. They were going to just try to calm down from everything and get a break. Just for a few months and then they'd go back to Russia to work at the school, but the small family had decided they needed to relieve some stress.

Tala and his brother, now nine, had been out for some gelato and when they'd gotten back into the house Anna was gone. All that was left was that letter. Tala had flown to Japan _almost_ immediately, and with that thought, cold dread filled Kai's heart.

Kiril.

"Where's Kiril?" He whispered to his brother. The redhead reeled back as though he'd been struck. His mouth dropped, tears flooding down his face as horror struck him.

"Oh God." He whispered, his body shaking.

"Luka. Where is Kiril?" It would take them forever to get back to Italy, this late at night there was little chance they'd catch a flight back. However long it had taken Tala to get to Japan meant that that was how long the boy had been by himself, and Kai could only hope that the redhead had enough sense to not leave the little boy alone.

"He-he-"

"Is he back home? On the Campus?" Kai asked as he tried to steady the man. Almost instantly though the man had leaped to his feet and had stumbled forward, trying to get towards the door where Tyson was watching the scene with growing horror.

Tyson knew by now that there were a few things that Tala treasured in his life. His family was at the top of that list. Kiril was someone that he had all but pledged to both father and brother. Kiril was his responsibility and his little boy. Everyone of the make shift family members had fallen in love with the child and they spoiled him rotten at times.

They'd all had a hand in personally raising the child from the time he was four, and the past four and a half years or so had been enough for the boy to mean the world to them. The child had been a huge part in the healing process it had taken them to overcome many nightmares and fears that they'd had.

While they weren't comfortable calling him their brother, something that seemed odd because they'd never had a problem calling any of the other F-Fives their brother, they did call him their favorite little nephew. Which was enough to make the older of the two blood brother's blush.

It had been recently that the child had started to call the redhead "Bropa" (Brother/Papa) or depending on the country they were in "Frapa." (Fratello/Papa). Because the redhead had for so long acted as both sibling and parent it had been something that had come naturally for the child. Tala had in turn called the boy his Chiro (child/brother). He had explained to the boy that calling him a Sro or a Bron sounded far too strange to him.

In truth, the nicknames had come along when Kiril had misbehaved in school. Or rather, he had told the truth in school and the teachers didn't believe him. He had been called down to the headmaster's office and his _father _had been called. He cried and begged and pleaded and all but got down on his hands and knees in hopes that his father wouldn't be called.

"Please don't call my father! Please, I don't want to see him, please!" He'd cried, and when Tala had walked in, he'd thrown himself at the young man in tears. "They were going to call _him!_ They said they were going to call _him!_"

"Shh...shh little love, who's going to call who?" He'd asked gently as he stared at the boy (who hardly ever cried) in his arms in confusion. He held the boy to his chest and snuggled into his bronze hair lightly. He rubbed the (then) seven year old's back in hopes to calm the child down.

"Ah, Mr. Ivanov, you're here." A voice had said behind him. The nineteen year old looked up and stared at the man who walked in. The man reeled back for a brief moment upon seeing him and blinked rapidly for a moment. "I'm sorry, I think there's been some mistake, who are you?" The child gripped the teen to his body, and pointed.

"He said he was going to call father!" He accused angrily.

"Hush now little love, give me a moment." The teen soothed gently. He looked at the man. "I'm his brother, what seems to be the problem?"

"We called your father." The man snapped as he growled, clearly annoyed. Kiril let a few more tears fall from his face as he buried his face in his brother's leg.

"Ah, on the paperwork you'd have seen my name under that. I adopted him." The redhead explained easily enough. The man blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"I adopted him two years ago when our father was declared unable to suitably raise him, none of that seems to matter. I'm his legal guardian and I'd like to know what the problem is."

"Excuse me for asking, but just what is it that you do Mr. Ivanov?" The man looked like he hated the idea completely that Tala was the boy's guardian, and it was clear he didn't think the teen was telling the truth in the slightest.

"I'm the Executive Field Commander in the International Security Agency overseeing all of the F-Fives of Russia, I had to leave my men in a training situation with my second who's does not especially want to be teaching them at the moment, and he'd rather be running surveillance on the mission he was assigned two weeks ago. So now that we've agreed that I have a job, one that I'm away from at the moment, that Kiril's upset, which he shouldn't be, and that you're going to have to deal with the fact that I'm his guardian, I want to know what exactly there seems to be the problem at the moment." Tala's voice was like ice.

Nobody made Kiril cry.

The headmaster licked his lips, feeling awkward all of a sudden.

"Well...he's been telling lies to the other students."

"What lies?" He asked calmly even as the child hissed "I don't tell lies!"

"He said that his father was undergoing an investigation for crimes against humanity and that he's one of those Abbey children and that he knows all the big secrets of beyblading that no one will say, and that the tournament two years ago was rigged." The man said triumphantly.

"None of that contained a lie in it. Our father is Boris Balkov, he is in jail, and he is under question for crimes against humanity. He _is_ an F-Five, he _does _know all the big secrets of beyblading, and the tournament _was _rigged. If that's all, I think we're through here – my brother doesn't lie."

The two had left the school, Tala insisting that they were through for the day, and had then decided to splurge and give the boy some ice cream to ease his fears (so what if Bryan was busy, he didn't particularly care in all honesty). The boy had been absolutely terrified at the possibility that he was going to see his father again after all this time. Even though the last time he'd seen the man in person had been a long while ago, the boy still had that in grown fear that all children of the Abbey had.

Boris Balkov was a man of nightmares and no one stood up against him. Except for the Officers. It was one reason why the F-Fives listened to their slightly older instructors and Officers. These were the people who had stood up against Boris' reign and had proven that they could come out on top. If they weren't scared of Boris, then the F-Fives had no reason to doubt their abilities.

"Why did he think you were my father?" Kiril asked innocently enough as he dipped into his chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, m and m, sprinkled, hot fudged, Hershey syruped, gummy worm conglomeration with some whipped cream on top just to add onto the calories and fattening sweetness the dessert was. No one in their right mind would buy a seven year old such a treat. Some already believed Tala wasn't of his right mind though, so he didn't really care.

"When we left the Abbey, there was some question of your guardianship." He started off, taking a spoonful of whipped cream and a worm dipped in chocolate. "All of the F-Fives who weren't able to be tracked down to a particular parent were also in that position." The little child nabbed a red and green worm and started to tug at it with his teeth while his brother talked. "Since my name's on the deed and such, I'm considered a foster parent to the F-Fives as I'm the Director of the campus."

"So you're my foster father?" He shook his head though.

"No, with you, we knew who you were related too. I decided to legally adopt you. Technically, you're my son." The boy blinked.

"I don't understand."

"According to the law...you're my son. On paper at least." He shrugged and took a huge bite out of chocolate and strawberry, making sure to grab some of the candy as well. "They wouldn't let me adopt you without...ah...motherly guidance as well, so Anna's technically your mother." The boy recoiled. While he hadn't seemed to mind the idea of Tala being his father, finding out that someone had replaced his beloved mother was something he did not approve of.

"I don't want another mother." He told his brother stubbornly. Tala cracked a grin.

"You don't have to call her that. She's still Anna."

"Anya." The little one corrected.

"Anya." He allowed.

"So what are you to me? Are you my papa or my brother?"

"Technically I'm both." For a while the boy was silent. He filled his mouth with ice cream and candy and looked to be very deep in thought.

"So...you're my Bropa?" He asked after a while. Tala cracked a grin.

"Why not?" He threw a few bills onto the table now that their dessert was finished and he scooped the little boy up to place him on his shoulders. "You can be my Chiro."

"Chiro?"

"My child and my bro." He explained. "It sounds retarded any other way." The little boy giggled.

"I don't want to call her my mama..." He whispered once more.

"You never have to if you don't want to."

That had been their relationship ever since that day. The two always together, and always going out for that Sinful Dessert. The two of them were peas in a pod, and it was obvious that Kiril loved the man like a father.

The simple fact alone that amidst all of this, Tala had been so completely shaken off his rocker that he'd forgotten about his brother was enough to show the gravity of the situation. While Kai was trying to restrain Tala, Tyson moved towards the phone and grabbed it. He brought it back, and when he entered the room, he noticed that Tala had slumped over unconscious.

Kai looked up at him for a moment before holding out his hand and taking the phone away from his friend. He dialed a series of numbers before pressing send and listened for a brief moment. Ringing filled the room as he waited, breath held.

"Where in God's name are you?!" An angry Italian voice hissed over the line. He flinched slightly at that.

"Signore Fratello?" Kai murmured as he closed his eyes in relief.

"Kai? Where's Luka?!"

"With me, is Kiril there?" He asked hopefully.

"He's here. He's been here for three days by himself! There's no food in the house, the poor boy was starving!"

"Three days?" He whispered, trying to figure out how so much time had passed since Anna's disappearance. Tala must have tried to track her down before he showed up in such a state at Tyson's house. That he'd forgotten about the boy for three days though...no wonder he'd needed to be so forcibly restrained. He was in a complete panic. For the newly turned nine year old to be left alone in a country he was just passably fluent in its language for three days was nearly serving a death sentence to the child.

"I stopped by today just to see how they were doing and you know what happened?! That poor child was all but bawling on the floor saying something about Anna leaving and Luka vanishing into thin air. I had to take him to the hospital! He was dehydrated and malnourished! So where the hell is that irresponsible brother of yours?"

"He's...he's not able to answer the phone right now. Is Kiril alright?" Kai felt his breath quicken at the sound of that. Things really were bad....

"He's fine, but what the hell is going on!?"

"Do you mind looking after Kiril for a few days? I'll call Bryan and get him to go to Italy to pick him up and bring him home, but can you watch out for him for a little while?"

"Watch out for him?! Kai where the hell is everyone?"

"Anna's gone. She left Luka...she doesn't want to come back either. She said some pretty cruel things in a letter she left, and coded in as proof it was here. Luka's...a bit out of it. He's not going to be able to come back to Italy, it'll tear his heart in two."

"My God...Anna left? What about the baby?"

"It didn't say...but Luka can't go back to Italy right now. Can you look after Kiril for a little bit? I'll figure out how to bring him home as soon as I can alright?" The phone had been passed to the child for a little bit, and Kai had to force himself to say they'd be there as soon as they could instead of rushing over to get him now. He knew that trouble was going to start and that Kiril was safest in Italy where nothing could harm him...he didn't want the boy caught in the cross fire of this... He didn't want Kiril to see Tala as broken as he'd been when the redhead had almost killed Anna all those years ago...

And that had been that. For _months _Kai and Tala worked each and every day to find Anna. Kiril stayed in Italy, ignored and forgotten for months.

_They forgot. _

_Tears streaked down the teen's face._

_They just forgot about him. _

_Just like they'll forget now._

_There was a crashing down the hall. He turned and looked up, trying to understand what was happening._

_A man walked in, his eyes glittering with some unknown quality. He reached out and grabbed the teen by the face before smashing his head down on the bench he'd been sitting on. The boy screamed as blood ran down his face._

"_Stop it! Please stop it! Leave him alone!" He looked up and stared at the woman that had followed the stranger into his cell. She was gripping at the man's arm, begging for his safety. He felt a surge of anger course through him. _

"_He's coming with us." The man hissed as he caught the teen by the hair and dragged him up. "He just needs to be roughed up a bit." _

_They walked forever. He knew he had to be concussed by now. He was seeing doubles of everything and his head was spinning so hard and so fast. Memories of the past kept surfacing in his mind and he groaned as his awareness was fading in and out. _

After the year had faded, Kai had shown up in Italy to take Kiril back home. He thanked Fratello over and over again, and tried to give him money to help pay for the costs, but the man refused. He was infuriated with the whole business and he hated the fact that Kiril had been left alone. He honestly did. Still, the man understood that Luka handled changes to his life, particularly changes to his love life very poorly.

So as Kiril left silently with Kai, he could only watch sadly. The boy had practically stopped speaking as the months dragged on. Garbled phone conversations with Kai, Bryan, and Spencer hadn't been enough to make him feel better after the loss of both his parent figures.

His best friend in the whole world, Adrien, had called him almost everyday after he'd heard what had happened. Kiril had been thankful for that, but as time dragged on, he stopped feeling like talking, and wanted instead to just be with his family once more. He just wanted his family back.

After all...that day had been the day he'd decided to do the inevitable.

"I'm going to call her mama when we get back." He'd said to Tala when they were walking home from the gelato stand. The redhead had stopped in his tracks.

"You sure about that Chiro?" He had asked softly, looking at his child with such concern about what the boy was thinking.

Anna was just about three months pregnant. When they'd all found out, everyone had been so excited and rushing about that there was a mass confusion as to what they were going to do. Still, that night, after all the excitement had seemed to dwindle down, the two love birds had gone into Kiril's dorm room on the F-Five campus and asked if Adrien could leave for a little while so they could talk to the boy.

They'd expected Kiril to be a number of things, jealous among the many ways he could the announcement. They hadn't expected him to break out into a great smile and grin up at the two like a child with a new toy on his birthday. What do I call it, he'd asked, my Brophew or my Neister? They'd all laughed at that, saying they'd hoped it wasn't a girl because that sounded far to strange.

The boy had been excited about the baby, just as excited as Tala was. The two of them were constantly running about trying to find ways to make Anna happy. Especially when she started to crave random things. Yet oddly enough, recently no matter what they did she was always in a bad mood. She was always trying to get into fights with Tala, and she'd even started to call him by that name now. Gone seemed to be the days where she called him 'Luka.'

"Last time I saw mama...she was pregnant. Anna's pregnant...and she's my mama now isn't she? I...I want her to be my mama..." He looked up at Tala with big eyes.

"You don't have to replace her with your mother."

"She was your mother too." He reminded, but Tala was shaking his head.

"That woman...she really never was my mother. I only spoke with her a few times, and while she may have given birth to me I don't think that makes much of a relationship. My mother and father will always be Aya and Nikoli Ivanov....you know they'd be truly pleased to know you took their name."

It had been right after the announcement that Anna was pregnant, that Kiril had decided to change his last name to Ivanov. Where before he'd called himself Valkov, he couldn't take it anymore and finally had asked to change it to his brother's name. The redhead had agreed and they'd filled out the paperwork accordingly. He'd been so happy...

"I want Anna to be my mama...I want you to be my papa...you're my papa right Luka?" he asked hesitantly, looking up at the man. Blue eyes shimmered.

"Yeah, I'm your papa Chiro..."

They had walked through the door, and Kiril had run through the house calling for Anna in hopes that he could tell her his decision. He couldn't find her though. Tala frowned and started to look too. He went to their room, one hand holding the gelato he'd bought for her still. There on the bed was the letter...the heart break...

In his pocket was the golden engagement ring he was going to propose to her with...

He'd left Italy, left Kiril, and now the boy had lost both his parents in one night. Their relationship had never been the same again.

Tala was always on missions. He was always busy or away. When they were together, there was an inexplicable amount of anger and frustration pent up inside the child's nine year old body. The two just got into fights and argued more times then not.

_He was dragged through the halls at a quick pace, and yet despite that, and the pounding headache, he could still feel the woman's eyes on him._

_He didn't like it. Yet he craved it. Even delirious with pain and concussion, his messed up mind craved her eyes watching him._

_The man holding him up finally came to a stop long enough to punch in a password at a door and shove him through it._

_They were on a balcony of sorts. Below them was a huge room. There were five machine like chairs that were easil recognized as a rendition of the Black Dranzer Server set up with all the computers connected to them not to far away. _

_There were people below too. Five people in the BD Server headsets that disguised their features and identities, several technicians and guards, and of all people – Kai. _

_The man pushed off the wall upon seeing him, his eyes wide with horror at the sight of him standing there dazed and confused. Several of the people in headsets also looked a bit shocked at the sight, and he wondered if he knew any of them you couldn't see their faces... _

"_Listen up...I know there's been some talk recently of using those servers against us...just as I know that some of you don't believe that we'll follow through with the threats that we made to keep you here..." The man trailed off, pushing him forward so that he was leaning over the rail. His hair fell into his face and he blinked, trying to focus as vertigo overtook him. He was about to fall to his knees when his hands clutched onto the bar that was pressing against his chest. _

_Vaguely he wondered if this is what it felt like to be holding onto that fatal three...the bar that sat three inches above the ground in the Abbey where Boris forced victims to hold onto it before they were beaten into the ground. _

_A gun was cocked, and he held his breath, suddenly feeling like his life was going to be over very soon. _

"_No! Stop it!" He turned his head slightly to see what was happening next to him, but a hand shoved his head downwards so he could see only the people who were standing horrified beneath him. The woman was screaming, shouting, begging him to stop._

"_Keep it up and I'll just kill that other boy!"_

_He felt his breath catch in his throat. What other boy? Adrien? Was Adrien here?_

"_This is a warning. I know you all know who this boy is. I also know that you don't want to see any kid die even if you don't know who he is...If any of you even think about doing anything, I'm going to blow this boy's brains out before you can blink twice. Understood?" _

_There was some quick agreements made, no one wanted to see this situation get worse then it already looked like it was getting. _

"_But, just to make sure..." The gun fired before anyone could even blink._

_He screamed, his body pitching forwards farther then he already was leaning. He was falling. Falling far faster then he could even imagine. He was going to hit his head on the ground and that was going to be that. He was going to die._

_Someone's arms caught him though. Caught him just before he smashed against the ground. He was bleeding everywhere, and his consciousness was fading, and he was already concussed and in a blinding amount of pain already...and yet he could have sworn that a soft voice whispered in his ear:_

"_Shh...it'll be alright...just stay alive and wait for me...I won't forgot about you, I promise I'll save you." _

_And as he slept...he dreamt about the past: _


	2. The Tale Of Marcus The Dead

**Windstar: **In all honesty I was more then a little annoyed when I saw the amount of visitors I got compared to the amount of reviews. I don't expect everyone to review, especially the first chapter because if you decide you don't like the first paragraph and leave you're still put down as a visitor. Still, it's a bit of a drag when you see high numbers visiting and only three review. Ah well, I guess I'm used to it.

As a warning, this chapter is vitally important to the series as a whole. It is almost entirely about Kiril and while I know that OCs aren't everyone's favorite, to understand _this _OC you're going to need to read this chapter. He's not four years old anymore and the world has changed. So I needed to explain his mind set. I'm not saying the whole series is going to be overrun by Kiril focused chapters, but there are quite a few OC centered moments that are vital to the plot line of the story. Because of this you're going to have to handle a few chapters of back story.

I didn't expect it to happen at all, but one of my favorite characters in this story has turned out to be Adrien. I just think he's a cutie, so you're going to have to be aware that he's appearing more often then not as well.

Thanks to my fabulous three reviewers who came over from On The Three. I love you guys!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own anything partaining to Beyblade. This is a fan made, non-profit, work that is entirely without rights or reservations. The only things in this work that belong to me are Kiril, Adrien, and the other characters that do not appear in the main series.

**Chapter One: **

When Kiril was eight years old he remembered seeing one of the older F-Fives stumbling into a dorm and falling to the ground unconscious. It seemed like an odd thing to remember because it wasn't one of the more important things that had happened in his life at the time. Anna hadn't left yet, but Ian's father had been diagnosed with cancer and the teen he'd grown up with for nearly half of his young life was gone. He'd left the campus to stay with his other family and he rarely returned.

There were other things to worry about when one was eight years of age. For instance, what time Cheburashka came on. Tala didn't let him watch television all that much, insisting that it rotted his brain (even if he didn't know what that meant). Still, he let him watch that show occasionally. It was all about a part monkey part bear stuffed animal that was all alone and by itself when it meets an alligator friend. The whole story was about their many adventures, and to him, that was far more interesting then why that boy had fallen asleep in the doorway.

He remembered it being cold that day, but it was sunny. Again, strange things to remember considering how flighty he had been back then. Alessander, the F-Five that Tyson had fought at the Abbey before the World Championships three years earlier, was watching over him and Adrien in the quad when they'd seen it happen.

Alessander was well liked, and most people enjoyed his company. He'd been one of the better bladers in the Abbey when he'd challenged Tyson, and he most certainly would have beaten the Japanese boy if it hadn't been for Kai stepping in and giving advice. Most people accepted that as fact now, especially when Tyson had been staying on their campus and begging to be taught how to blade. The brunette had challenged the foreigner with the intent to gain back his pride, and he did so easily enough. Tyson sure was surprised when he saw his motionless beyblade.

Kai congratulated the young eleven year old and told him he could go to the kitchen later and get an extra dessert with dinner. Ever since then, that loss had been stricken from his record, and the kids of the Abbey got along fine with him after that. No one had any qualms at all.

He spent a lot of time with Spencer and Bryan, begging to learn and be taught their secrets. They agreed, with some conditions, and he followed them around constantly. Which was good for them because the boy turned out to be useful whenever they needed to get things done, like baby sitting jobs.

Adeline, who had taken Alessander to Livorno during the World Championships in order to save his life, had dubbed the boy with the nickname Xander which he went by to the older class. Tala and the other Officers had taken a liking to the nickname and used it as well, and they used it whenever they were on missions years later. It was much like Tala's seemingly multiplying personas.

Luka was what his family called him in a quiet setting when they were at home. They laughed and talked and chattered away, and when life was going well this was the name they used. It was the name that Kai had given him and it was the name he would love and cherish the most.

Tala was the name he used on missions. The name that he used whenever he was working hard at something and he was commanding attention from the F-Fives. They all listened to him without question, but when he was in his Tala mode it was particularly important to do so. He didn't take prisoners when he was like that, when he was like that, he was in for the kill.

Commander Ivanov was what the people at the ISA called him when he was there for meetings and the like. He was in charge of the F-Fives and as such he needed to be called that in order to gain respect for his group of soldiers. Various other adults and organizations called him this as well.

Yuri was the name that Kiril called him once or twice but it was falling by the wayside. He accepted it has his true name, and he even had a birth certificate made up with it on it, but he didn't go by it and he didn't seem to like it either. Especially when Yuri Valkov, his true name, was used. He ignored it to the best of his ability despite how he'd put on the certificate: Yuri Luka Tala Valkov Ivanov. It was a mouthful, but it was his name.

For Alessander, it was similar. Xander would be the name he went by when he was in mission mode, and Alessander would be the name he was called in casual setting. He was blessed with only having two names to go by instead of five, and that was more then enough for him. He didn't know how Tala did it.

Still, Alessander became much like a glorified baby sitter to the eight year old roommates who had been with him in Italy with Adeline. Kiril and Adrien looked up to him as a big brother, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't like them. He enjoyed their presence and he liked spending time with them.

So when Kiril pointed out that someone had just decided to take a nap in the doorway of the dorm, Alessander had been there to hear him and look up to see it happen. Kiril couldn't explain then why it was that Xander had ordered them to stay there, or why it was that he took off running to the dorm.

At the time, he didn't understand what was happening, and found the whole business rather boring. He and Adrien had much better things to be worrying about then about someone's nap time. So they'd busied themselves with their ball game that they'd started and they'd ignored what was happening at the dorm.

It didn't take long before Tala had shown up, running across the lawn of the campus straight towards them. Kiril had waved excitedly and held out his arms to be held, but Tala had rushed right by him. He too ordered them to stay where they were as he flew into the dorm where Xander was leaning over the sleeping person.

Kiril stamped his foot and had gotten rather agitated at that, not understanding why people were ignoring him all of a sudden. So when Anna appeared, running in their direction as well, he expected to get at least some attention. He didn't, she too told them to stay there.

So fed up with their behavior the eight year old staged a rebellion himself and walked over with Adrien toting along behind him to see what was happening. There were people running this way and that, and Tala was on the phone with someone saying where they were and what was going on.

At the time, Kiril had been too young to know that the teen on the floor wasn't sleeping and was in fact in a coma. He'd been too young to understand that what had happened to the teen had been a drug overdose and that the boy would die in three days because of the withdrawl hitting his body even while he'd been unconscious.

Still, he knew it now, and since he was remembering all of this he could look at it all with a mature state of mind. It was like watching the scene from third person. He knew that as a eight year old he had been standing and staring at the scene in confusion. He knew that as a eight year old, things like death and drugs and overdose didn't mean anything to him. He knew that all of this was far too confusing.

Now he understood it of course. He understood it all. He understood now that when Bryan had shoved his fingers down the teen's throat to force him to throw up whatever he could have ingested, it was to get any toxins out of his stomach. The problem wasn't in his stomach though...it was in the blood.

At eight years old Kiril hadn't understood any of that. He'd just watched it all and been upset that no one was paying attention to him. He didn't know why Xander looked so scared and looked so worried. He didn't know why Spencer pulled the boy aside and started to drill him for information. Xander should have known what was going on, everyone liked him and everyone was his friend, and so Xander _had _to have known what was happening.

He didn't understand it when the brunette had told his superior officer that Marcus, the teen on the floor who would die in three days, had been playing with drugs for a while now and that he'd been trying to get him to stop. Everyone was. Everyone had known that Marcus was dealing and doing as many drugs he could get. He liked the high, and he liked the ability to forget.

Kiril couldn't understand what they were talking about. He didn't understand that Marcus had been so broken by the Abbey that he had taken drugs to wash the memories away. He didn't understand what it meant when Xander told Spencer, through sobbing tears, that Marcus had started to drown himself with booze and send himself into a stupor almost every night.

Everyone could remember the multiple arguments that Tala had gotten into with the sixteen year old child who would die in three days. Everyone could remember how the brunette had refused to listen to anything the red head said. The boy had screamed and yelled and completely ignored everything that his Officer had been trying to tell him.

Marcus had said that Tala couldn't understand. Marcus had said that Tala was an idiot. He'd said all those things, and Tala had tried still to help him. He'd tried to get him to stop using the drugs he'd been fueling his body with. He tried to keep him from making himself into a dead man.

Clearly it hadn't worked.

At eight years old things like this didn't mean anything. At eight years old, Marcus' death didn't mean anything. How could it? When you're eight you don't think about things like that. Guiltily Kiril could honestly say that he really thought that one day his mother was going to come back from the dead and be with him again.

That thought vanished after he saw a few more people die, but that didn't matter. Not then at least. Then, death was just sleeping. A temporary state that would rectify itself eminently. So he couldn't understand why Xander was crying for his friend's death. He couldn't understand why it was such a bad thing to overdose.

"What does it mean?" He had asked as he'd looked at his brother that night. Tala had come by their dorm room and sat with them as they were going to sleep.

"It means he took more of something then he should have." Tala explained lightly as he brushed the boy's hair out of his face with his fingers.

"Like eating too much candy?" He'd asked as he'd come up with the best example he could think of. The Commander smiled lightly.

"Yeah...sort of." He'd replied.

"Too much candy can make you go to sleep?" Adrien asked in a hushed whisper, looking up at the man in fear. He was, of course, referring to the coma they'd seen the boy in as he'd been carried off by the paramedics.

"No, too much candy will give you a very bad stomach ache and maybe diabetes, this is something else." Tala sighed as he patted the younger boy's head. "He's very sick right now...what he took may very well kill him." He said the words slowly, trying to make the boys understand what he was getting at. The older kids had all been informed in Mikhail Hall.

Many of them had gone to the chapel on the campus and prayed. The rest returned to their room in stony silence. It would be the first time that one of them would die since the Abbey fell. No one had died since Boris had been taken down...now though...now they'd gotten their first death.

"He may never wake up again." He continued, eyes piercing the children.

"Like mama?" Kiril asked, mouth dropping in fear.

"Yes Kiril...like mom." The boy stared at him, his eyes filling with tears. Adrien looked stricken and Tala wished he could have kept this from them. The younger kids hadn't been informed of all of the details. There had been no point. They'd been made aware that someone was sick on campus and that they weren't expected to survive, but they hadn't needed to know exactly why. They were too young and they wouldn't understand. Just like how these children wouldn't understand. Yet they'd seen it. They'd walked over and watched as Marcus's body lay there for all to see.

They'd watched as he'd been loaded up and carted off. They hadn't understood, but they'd watched. So Tala thought that he should go to make them understand. He didn't use words like _drug addict _or _suicide _he didn't use words like _purge _or _drown in sorrow. _No...he didn't use those words. Yet those were the words that would have fit the situation well.

Still...at eight years old, Kiril and Adrien wouldn't have understood, and even now, when they were the same age as that boy who had been laid to rest too soon, they couldn't understand.

They couldn't understand why someone would want to drown in misery to the point that they would make themselves forget. Perhaps though, perhaps if they couldn't remember all the bad things that had happened in life they wouldn't have to worry about anything.

Would they be happy? Would they be happy if they had nothing to worry about? Then again, if they worried about nothing, then what were they doing? Were they really living? Who were they if they didn't care for anything?

Kiril couldn't understand that way of thinking. He honestly couldn't. He truly believed that you got what you got and you dealt the cards that were handed to you. Still, it was easy to say that you wished you couldn't remember...

There were lots of things he wished he couldn't remember. He wished he couldn't remember listening to Tala and Anna fighting. He didn't like to hear them yelling. Yelling made his heart ache and his head hurt and it made him want to disappear. He hated the sound of their voices as they screamed back and forth at each other.

"He's a child!" Anna would yell, coming to his defense about something he didn't think she really needed too. He remembered...it was...beyblading training. She thought that Tala was training him too hard.

"He's an F-Five!" His brother had argued back, eyes glaring at her as he got into her face.

"He's not one of the older kids who actually fell into a pattern there! He can live a normal life away from all of this and you're forcing him on it!"

"He doesn't want anything else!"

"How would you know? Did you ask him?"

They would go on and on for hours, and it would always be something small. In hindsight, everything had started to go down hill when Marcus had died. Perhaps that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Marcus had died and then a few months later, at the start of the new year, everything started to go wrong.

Kiril remembered finding out about Spencer's mission. He had been in class with Bryan. The twenty two year old was going over a martial arts technique with them when Kai had walked in the room. His face was grim and he looked like he'd been hit by a truck. His clothes were dirty and there was a line of blood running down his face. Bryan stared at him, unsure what to say or do when he saw his friend and _brother _in such a state. Adrien had shot to his feet the instant he saw him, his face drawn of all color.

"Uncle Kai!" Kiril remembered calling out when he saw the man. The heir to Hiwatari Enterprises struggled to try to smile, but it came out half twisted and emotionless. He looked at Bryan.

"Spencer's hurt." He said softly. The older man went rigid and the whole class fell silent. When one of their Officers were hurt, it only happened because a mission went sideways.

What was Spencer's mission again?

He was...running intel on an Arabian drug lord...that's right...they were trying to find out who had created the drug that had been powerful enough to kill Marcus in his sleep due to the effects. They'd wanted a mix of revenge and justice. They wanted the drug off the streets.

"What happened?" Bryan asked softly. Hurt could mean a lot of things. The one thing hurt didn't mean was dead. No...Spencer wasn't dead, but there was a lot of room to play with on just how badly off he could be.

"Car bomb." Kai replied, sighing heavily. He didn't seem to notice that he was saying all this in front of a class of eight year olds.

"Was he in the car?" Bryan asked, horrified, the shock was easily read on his face. Kai was shaking his head though.

"No, he wasn't. He was hit with the recoil. He went through a shop window though, they took him to the hospital. He's stable, but he's got some bad burns and some broken bones. He'll be OOC for a while."

OOC....out of commission. He wouldn't be doing missions for a while. Kiril remembered Bryan dismissing the class. He remembered begging Kai to let them come too but being denied. He remembered specifically for some reason that Adrien had stared at the man long enough to get him to give him a hug and assure him that everything was going to be alright.

Not too long after that Bryan was shot at. It had only been a few months between the two and now Bryan was in the hospital. The bullet had gone through a lung and he'd nearly drowned on his own blood. He was saved just in the nick of time though.

Then, on the way to the hospital, he and Tala had gotten into an accident. Kiril remembered getting into the car, the back seat, with Adrien. The brunette sat in the middle next to him and they'd started down the road. They'd gotten to one stop light when Tala had looked back and frowned.

"You guys have your seat belts on?" He asked as he glanced at their beltless waists. They groaned and put them on.

"What's the point Luka, we're never going to need them." He had complained as he snapped his belt into place. Tala had laughed and shaken his head.

"You never know when you'll need it."

"But you're such a good driver!" They whined as they'd looked up at him.

"It's not me I'm worried about, it's the other drivers on the road." The light turned and he looked both ways to make sure that all the traffic was stopped. Then he started across the intersection. One car sped out of nowhere though and slammed _hard _into the side of their sedan. Adrien had thrown himself at Kiril to make sure he was alright, and Tala's arm had reached back to shield Adrien.

The car morphed around the truck that had struck them, and they were lucky it had hit then on the right and that Adrien had thrown himself so quickly. The right side of their car was destroyed.

Kiril remembered looking up and seeing the truck and screaming, but it was too late. Adrien grabbed onto him and suddenly they were skidding across the road on the wrong side of the tires. They were lucky the car didn't flip. Tala had dislocated his shoulder trying to throw his arm out to block anything that was going to hit the boys, but he popped it back in without much worry or concern.

"Are you both alright?!" He shouted as he looked back at them. They had a few skims on their skin but nothing that was substantial. They were fine, all things considered. He opened his door and he shook his head as he tried to focus, then he opened up their door and pulled both of them out, undoing their seatbelts which really had saved their life that day, and carrying them both out of the car.

Had Adrien not buckled up, he would have been thrown from the back seat forwards and out the windshield. He would have died. Kiril would have been thrown all over the place as well, possibly even into the car that had crushed the right side of their car.

"Bropa?" Kiril asked, as he blinked up at him, he was confused and scared. He didn't understand then what was happening. Tala held his brother close to him and rubbed his hair as he checked the two over for any injuries. He didn't care that he was bleeding himself or that his arm had just been dislocated. He didn't care because they'd come first.

In truth, Kiril couldn't even remember Tala being hurt at the scene of the crash. Some of the other cars had ejected their passengers and they were rushing over to see if they were alright. He was so confused as to all the mayhem and chaos that he didn't take note of the fact that Tala was wincing as he tried to keep himself focused.

They dealt with the insurance and the police and everything like that, but most of it passed by as a blur and Kiril couldn't remember exact words that were spoken or moments that had occurred. He did remember that Adrien was holding his hand and that Tala never once left their side. He stayed with them the entire time, his arms holding them to him.

An ambulance came and he got them into it and they told the people the name of Bryan's hospital. Might as well kill two birds with one stone. They showed up, rattled, shaken, and whip lashed, but they were fine. There were no lasting injuries.

Kiril remembered how Anna and Tala had gotten into a fight over that too. It seemed strange that they were fighting so much, but he couldn't remember until now who kept starting them. Because she'd left, he'd blamed Tala. It wasn't his fault though. It was hers.

Perhaps she was steeling them for the blow of her leaving. Perhaps she was trying to prepare them for what she was planning on doing. Whatever it was, he didn't like it then and he didn't like it now. It just made him mad at her. It made him fill with rage.

Then came the night that Tala had vanished to go find Anna who had spirited away, taking the unborn child with her. Kiril remembered staring at the open door in confusion. He didn't know how it was that his day was so ruined by that one letter. He didn't know how it was that everything had fallen apart. All he remembered was being so excited for the chance to finally being able, or rather brave enough, to tell Anna that he wanted her to be his mama.

Then he remembered tears, and screaming...and then nothing. He was alone. Luka had left him. He remembered standing in the living room, looking at the world blankly and not understanding what had just happened. It had been a perfect day. A perfect day that was ruined. A perfect day...how could such perfection be ruined by one letter?

What had he done wrong? What had he done _wrong_? Did he act badly? Did he misbehave? No...he never got yelled at. Tala and Anna never needed to scold him. He always got good marks in class...so what had gone wrong?

The only thing he understood in that moment was that Anna had blamed Tala and that was why she'd left. It was simple then. She'd left because of him. She'd left because of Tala, because of how Tala raised him too. He felt his insides turn cold.

"Luka?" He had called in the darkness of the house. Lightening flashed outside and he jumped. His heart started beating wildly in his chest. The door was left ajar...the man had been in such a rush. Should he close it? Would he be mad? Would _she? _Thunder crashed and he felt himself start to cry.

Even now when he thought of that memory he cried. He cried because that memory had traumatized him. It had terrified him to the core. He stayed in that one spot, confused and uncertain. Anna's words repeated in his head, and he'd memorized it before he had even known it.

_Luka, _

_While I'm sure this may come as a shock to you, I mean this honestly and truly. I can no longer stay here with you. After four years of this, I can't take it any longer. At first, I hoped that things would get better, that you and I would be able to actually have a real relationship. I've seen the way you and Kiril have been with each other and committing my life to you through marriage or anything would mean that I would have to accept that that would be how you would treat any children we'll have together...and I cannot accept you to be a father to this child in that manner. Kiril was already here, there was nothing we could do to stop that...this child doesn't deserve you and neither do I. We deserve better. I've tried to bite my tongue and not say anything throughout this whole while, but I can no longer do so. Besides, this is far to dangerous of an environment to raise a child in. You wouldn't know anything about that would you? You've never cared at all about danger. _

_Goodbye,_

_Anna Giana Ottilia Jones Fortune Officer 006_.

He felt his breath dying in his throat. Anna didn't want him. He'd been forced upon her. Tala had forced him on her and he'd broken her! Just like he'd forced the baby on her that she didn't think Tala could raise!

Alone in the dark such words filtered in his mind. Such thoughts and such terrible terrible feelings. He cried with each thunder clap as the storm grew ever harder. He cried with each memory. Luka hadn't cared about the danger he was being put in. He'd let him do things that the other F-Fives had done. Was that wrong?

Maybe she was right. Maybe because he was so young he didn't have to go to the same things the F-Fives went to. Maybe it was wrong for him to be raised as an F-Five when really didn't spend that much time in the Abbey. Maybe she was right. Maybe Tala had been wrong the whole time...

Yet as he sat in the dark, scared of the storm, scared of his mind, and scared of what was happening, nothing answered his cries. No one came for him. No one went to him. He was alone. He was unbearably alone. Like he was now. Like he was now...all alone...

At eight years old he hadn't understood what was happening. At eight, he hadn't understood Marcus' death. At eight he didn't understand Anna's leaving. What would there be at nine? Would he understand at nine? Would he ever have the chance? There was a loud crash and he screamed, running from the door and rushing into the room of his would be called parents.

He flew into their bed and under the covers, and he cried and cried as fear soaked through him. He didn't understand, and he wanted to. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. Everyone was gone. He was alone. He was all alone and he didn't understand.

He cried and cried, but no one came. He screamed and no one answered.

Just how at eight no one looked at him when Marcus had died.

Now at nine no one answered when he felt his soul die.

The storm raged on through the night, it flooded the streets with puddles, and the sea crashed outside. He sat in the bed and shivered. He stared at the wall and bit his lip as he tried to figure out what was happening. He didn't understand why Anna had left. He didn't understand her reasons...and he didn't understand why Luka had left him all alone.

The day dawned and he was still staring at the wall. Sun filtered through the window and he felt himself grow hateful. Before, when the world was dark and gray he could handle it. Everyone was sad. The world was crying...but this sun was a mockery of his pain. This sun was teasing him with it's delight. He hated it. He hated it and wanted it to rain.

He flew to the window and drew the shades. He made the house dark. Then he turned to the still wide open front door and hatefully slammed it shut. Logically he knew that this wouldn't fix anything, the sun would still be shining and whoever wanted to come in through the door would, but he still felt like he was getting one up on the world.

He was mad at his brother for leaving him alone all night, and so he'd closed the door in vengeance. Then he set about deciding what he should do. He walked over to the phone and he dialed Tala's number. He didn't pick up. Well, then he dialed Anna's number. It rang a few times and then it went to the answering machine.

_If this is Tala just leave me the hell alone. I've made sure you won't be able to find me, and I never want to see you again. Any of you! _

He felt his breath catch. He shook violently as the phone fell from his hands. His hands went to his head as tears formed in his eyes once more.

The only thing he could remember about that day and the day after that, was nothing. He remembered no one coming for him. He remembered being completely and totally forgotten. He remembered staring at the wall and laying at the floor. He remembered laying there and crying and not moving because his whole world had shattered so soundly and so completely on him.

It all started with Marcus and his crazy drug obsession. He couldn't handle the pain of the world and so he'd overdosed on some drug. Then Spencer was blown away because of a car bomb that was supposed to kill him. Bryan was shot and hospitalized. Ian was gone with his family, he barely called anymore! Tala and Adrien and he had all been in a car crash, and now Anna had left.

And now Tala had left.

And now he was all alone.

"Hello?" That was the first thing he remembered hearing on the fourth day. Three days after everything had been destroyed. Three days by himself, he remembered hearing that one word. He could hardly move though. He was dehydrated and he was starving and he was exhausted. "Luka? Anna? Kiril?" The door opened and the man walked inside.

"N-nonno?" He whispered, recognizing the voice as Damion Fratello's.

Years ago when his brother had been given a horrible order. Kill the ISA agent who had broken into the Abbey with intents to steal information. That person just happened to be Anna. That order had spun him into a tailspin that wasn't corrected until seven months later.

He and Anna had left Russia and ran away to Italy. To the very house that Kiril had been abandoned in years later. There they had met Damion Fratello, a psychologist who worked at a local play house as an actor in his free time. Through the man's help and Kai's encouraging words, Tala managed to pull himself out of his slump.

Months later, Kiril and Adrien would be sent to Italy with Adeline who with Damion's help took care of them (and later Alessander) until the World Championships were over and they could go back to Russia. Ever since then though Kiril and Adrien had called the man Nonno, or grandfather in Italian.

"Kiril?" The man had caught the quiet and strained quality to his voice, and quickly his footsteps echoed through the house. He ran into the kitchen and caught sight of him laying there on the floor, struggling slightly to sit up. "Kiril!" He threw himself to the floor and pulled the child into his arms. "What happened? Are you alright? Were are your parents!?" He said the word without thinking, but they both know who they meant. Still though, with everything that had happened lately the boy froze at the word.

"Not...not my parents..." He whispered, looking away.

"Kiril, where's Anna and Luka?" He asked sternly, holding the boy so they were making eye contact.

"Don' know...." He slurred wearily. He had barely slept and he hadn't eaten or drunk anything in so long...he was exhausted...

"What do you mean? What happened?"

The boy would have cried if he had any fluids in him to waste. He didn't though. So he could only stare with wide eyes at the man. He could only stare and wish he could cry tears that would never come.

"They left." He whispered. "Anna...left a note...s'gone...naw comin' ba..." He was slurring badly now and the man hissed, picking him up easily and going to the phone. The boy remembered falling to sleep then. Or at least, the next thing he knew he was in the hospital.

The doctors said he was malnourished and that he was dehydrated but was alright considering...They pumped him full of fluids and then sent him on home with Fratello after a long talk with the doctors about child neglect and abuse. It took hours, and there was talk of someone coming to take him away, but Damion championed for him and refused to let anything happen.

That night he remembered a phone call, and hearing Kai's voice telling him that everything was going to be alright. Luka was in Japan...he'd gone to see Kai...and then they were coming for him.

But they didn't come.

Not for months.

Kiril found himself in Damion's care through an entire school year. He was enrolled in the school in Livorno, and he stayed there. He barely made any friends. He barely did anything. Kai hardly called, but when he did it was filled with false promises that he'd be there soon.

He never spoke to Tala.

Tala never wanted to talk to him.

Or maybe he did want to talk to him but he never knew what to say. That was easier to swallow...and it was what he remembered telling himself to make him feel better at night.

He was quiet and good in school...quiet and good until finally he couldn't deal with it any longer. A boy was saying how Kiril had been abandoned and that was all it had taken. He punched the kid right in the face and the beat him black and blue. He was called every dirty name in the book, but he didn't care. He'd had enough. He'd had enough of everything. He wanted his family back, and he wanted that kid to shut up for good!

That night, they came for him. Fratello had been yelling at him, telling him how he couldn't just lash out at people and get into fights, but he ignored him. He ignored him because the man wouldn't know. The man could never know. He hated that man in that moment. He clenched his fists and he glared at him and he told him that, and in those moments, the door opened and they both turned to stare at Tala who looked terrible. He looked completely terrible. He was black and blue and was walking on crutches. He had long burn scars running up his legs, but Kiril hadn't seen those yet. He'd see them later.

He stared at the redhead. He didn't take note of anything Fratello was saying, he didn't take note of how the man was fussing over what the young man looked like. Kai was standing not too far behind Tala, his hair shorter then usual for some odd reason. He looked thinner too. But neither brother said anything.

It was like their first meeting. When Mikhail had pushed him into Tala's arms. They hadn't said anything, and in truth they hadn't spoken for a few days after they did first meet. It had taken time for their relationship to start.

Now it was starting again. The person who was crying wasn't him. He didn't cry anymore. No, it was some apparition...some doppelganger of him...it wasn't actually him. The child who ran into Tala's arms wasn't him. The little boy who didn't say anything but clung to the man's neck wasn't him. No...it wasn't him...but it sure felt like him.

He'd find out later that there was a plane crash, that was why they hadn't been able to call. Kai and Tala had been in South Africa trying to get Tala's feet on the ground. He had been such a wreck that they'd been trying to help him sort himself out. They were on their way back when their plane had crashed.

That was why they'd been over ten months late...that was why they'd forgotten him for nearly a year...there was a plane crash...

And no one bothered to tell them.

He wasn't their doll. He convinced himself of that fact immediately. He wasn't going to be their play thing for them to dress up and march around. He wasn't going to be their toy. He was going to show them all. He was going to show them all.

He found himself hating and loving them at the same time. He hated Tala with a fiery passion. It was his fault that Anna left. It was his fault that he'd been left alone. It was his fault there was no Abbey there was no mother or father. There was nothing. It was all his fault.

He loved Tala because he was the person who had looked after him for so long and had made every day so wonderful for five years. He loved those five years...those five years had meant the world to him, and that was why he loved him. He loved him because he knew that that man was still in that broken shell of a person who was suddenly so awkward around him. He knew that that man was there...

He hated Kai because Kai had taken Tala and had made so many false promises on bringing him back. He hated Kai because Kai was the person who, in his mind at least, enabled Tala's depresssion. He loved Kai because Kai looked after him when Tala couldn't. He loved Kai because the man honestly cared for him and would do anything for him.

He hated Ian because Ian just left. Ian wasn't even there anymore, and in all honesty, he didn't love Ian at all. Ian left and just kept leaving. He didn't help at all. He wasn't there. He didn't do anything. He may have been involved with helping out at the plane crash, but he didn't help anything from there...so maybe he did love Ian...love Ian for helping the others find Tala.

He hated Bryan because Bryan had shot Anna after they'd found her. He'd shot her and left her for dead. He loved Bryan because Bryan was Tala's best friend. Because he looked after him too. He loved Bryan because Bryan was always such a friend to him and he'd always been there if he needed to talk...always before this past year....

He hated Spencer...because Spencer just wasn't there. He loved Spencer because Spencer came back...

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. Yet he remembered in that one moment that Tala was holding onto him and hugging him gently. Tala came back....and Anna didn't.

So perhaps he hated Anna the most. And perhaps he loved Anna the most...perhaps that was why he was so broken inside...and why he just didn't know what to do anymore...why he just didn't _want _to remember anymore.

He went back to Russia and life moved on...and he realized at the end of all things, that he didn't hate Anna the most.

He hated Marcus...because Marcus' death had started it all. And it was all his damn fault.


	3. Of Red Heads and Cookies

**Windstar: **Besides rushing to update this chapter so fast that I almost updated the chapter after this one because it was called "chapter Three" and this is the third update, everything's been going pretty good this week. I apologize if there are any huge problems in this chapter, I'm literally updating this in the five minutes before my anatomy and physiology class starts! I hope that you're all doing well, discalimer is the same as always! Thanks to my wonderful reviewers! Last monday was my birthday so I'm sorry I was a bit late on the update, I didn't get on my computer and have internet until right now!

**Chapter Two: **

Just because Kiril was suffering though, did not mean that Tala or any of the others weren't suffering either. Three years after Anna had disappeared, Tala was still quiet and withdrawn and he still was not quite the person that he was in the past. He was dedicated to his work and he ran the school to the best of his ability. There was no time for second guessing for him. There was only his job and that was that.

He focused himself on that mission, and that goal. During the days he would work with the ISA and during the afternoons he would teach at the school. On evenings he would make rounds around the campus and make sure that people were getting sleep.

At night he was working tirelessly to get everything ready for the day. He was a constant mess of working and working and working. He barely ate and he barely slept and he never had time for anybody. He was always by himself and trudging along.

Sure, Kiril never saw him, but nobody else did either. They only people who saw him were people at the office who he worked with everyday. He never took any vacations and he was constantly burying himself in his work. He was entirely depressing that way. So it came to pass that one night after it had been called lights out and he and Bryan had started their rounds around the childrens' dorms to make sure people were put to bed correctly, that Bryan decided that enough was enough.

"Come on Tala, it'll be fun." Bryan was smiling brightly as he put an arm around his _brother's _shoulder. The redhead was rolling his eyes, clearly not believing a word that his friend was saying. He scowled at his friend's bright smile and shrugged him off.

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not the man whore you are Bry." He said as he started towards one of the rooms. The lights were off inside but when he peeked in he was gratified with the very fake sounds of someone trying to weasel out of their bed time. He ordered them to go to sleep and he heard a groan and the flashlight that was hiding under the boy's pillow was quickly confiscated and the book was taken away from the culprit.

"You can get it in the morning." Bryan told them before looking back to Tala. "I'm not a man whore. It's a simple trip to a bar."

"I'm not an alcoholic either. Of all the traits you had to pick up from Mikhail, you had to get that one." They walked into another room and one boy was slumped over, sleeping peacefully on the floor next to a bunch of toys. Tala slipped inside and quietly picked up the slumbering eight year old and placed him back in his bed gently. He pulled a blanket up over him and patted his hair gently before starting to pick up a few of the clothes on the floor and push some of the toys to the back.

"You don't have to be an alcoholic to go to a bar, Lu." Bryan hissed as he glowered at the other. He clearly was not impressed with his friend's opinion on his offer, and it was obvious that he was annoyed with the fact that his great idea was being smote even as they stood there talking.

"I don't like those places. I'd much rather stay here and get some work done." Tala answered him with a frown. He picked up a few beyblades and gently started to put them back together from where they'd been taken apart. There was a piece of paper on the ground that was talking about all the different parts of the beyblade and posed questions about the make up of the toy.

Tala reached for a pencil and started to fill in the answers without thinking about it. Bryan laughed slightly and shook his head. It had been a long standing tradition that the boys of the Abbey had discovered early on. Since they started to realize that their time with their Commander was limited, they had composed a nifty way to get some of his attention.

"Elfing" is what they called it. They would pose questions or write memos to their leader and each night when he made his rounds he would do his best to look for the little strips of paper so that he could comment on each of them. Sometimes they'd be little things like "what does this do?" Other times it would be pleas for help and Tala would write a time that he could meet with them. It was his little way to try to keep in touch with the various students of the school.

"They're never going to learn how to do things on their own if you keep elfing them." Bryan muttered when he read what his Commander had written. "And you're not an alcoholic, you're a _work_aholic."

"I just like doing my job effectively." Tala hissed as he frowned up at his friend. He checked another boy's room, and turned off the lights when he saw that the kid was already passed out and sleeping peacefully. There was a paper on the desk that said _Hi Tala! _And he wrote a quick hello. "And I like staying involved with them."

"You're babying them that's what you're doing, and you're not just doing your job effectively. You're doing my job, and Spence's job, and Kai's job, and everyone elses job when they're not there -"

"Keeping the machine oiled and running smoothly. Isn't that in a fortune cookie somewhere?"

"I'm sure it is, but why don't you go anyway -" There were hushed mumbles in the next room and both opened the door and ordered the boys to sleep.

"Bed now!" Tala shouted as he looked at the kids who were whispering across the room to each other. They groaned and started to complain. "I don't care what time you think is appropriate. When you become the leader of the school you can decide when the bedtimes are, but since you're not - bed!"

"But the twelve year olds can stay up until ten!" They groaned.

"And you're not twelve are you? Sleep now."

"But we're gonna be twelve in a few years."

"Then you get to argue with me about it in a few years. Until then, you better be in bed before I come back down this hall and I better hear snores before I turn the power off." They groaned again and whined a bit more. "Keep it up and I'll make your bedtime six." Instantly they were quiet and they scurried under the covers and started to lay down to go to sleeep.

They left the room and started down the hall again. Tala was checking a few places here and there, but it was relatively quiet and it wasn't a busy night. They didn't have much to do. It was the night after a physical day, and most everyone was too exhausted to even think about moving let alone do anything except sleep.

"Look, if you come with us you'll be bound to have some fun. Maybe even meet a nice boy and take him home with you. You know...become friends or something." Bryan winked suggestively, but it was lost on his sometimes too innocent companion who looked up at him with a blank frown. He didn't get it.

"What do you mean?"

"Well...you know...a bed buddy...a butt fuck, a -"

"Jesus Christ Bryan, I'm not gay! You may be, if that's the kind of bar this is, but I'm not gay!" Tala was flushing furiously, his face almost as red as his hair. His eyes were clashing brightly against his cheeks. Embarrassment was rushing through his veins and he looked and felt completely foolish.

"Woah, woah, woah, I'm not gay. I just figured that since you haven't had any in three years -"

"Not that my sex life is my of your business." Bryan sniggered. "But I get 'some' just enough." Tala's voice was like ice. He was hateful and angry and annoyed, and Bryan was not making him feel any better. He was only making him feel worse. He didn't want to talk about his sex life, or lack there of. Especially not to a nosy person like Bryan who just loved to get involved with things that weren't his own to get involved in. He didn't want to get advice from this category from his friends. He most certainly didn't want to get advice in this category from Bryan!

"So you _do _have bed buddies." Tala growled at him, his eyes sharpening as he tried to figure out just what he did wrong to have God curse him with befriending Bryan Kutznetsov. It was a day he'd never forget and a day that would haunt him forever more. He almost wondered if he should have listened to Kai when he had told him to not go into that cell that day.

"Drop it Bryan." The other's face was suddenly serious. He checked another room, nodded, and moved on.

"Come on. It's been three years since Anna left." Tala flinched at the name. "You need to move on...get laid."

"I don't want to 'get laid' Bry." Tala whispered quietly. They'd finished their rounds and were now standing still in the hall. Tala's face was suddenly awash with insecurity. It was a common image after all this time. That image looked more and more like what he was looking like every day. At the end of the day when he would simply stare out his window in quiet wait for something that may never appear. It was a quiet wait that would never end...it would just keep going on and on forever.

He was always waiting. He was always waiting for someone to come back to him, someone to to come home. At the end of all things, he was still waiting. He was still waiting for someone. Bryan was sick of walking passed Tala's room and seeing his friend waiting. Seeing those blue eyes fill with such sadness as he waited for the interruption of his night from a woman he'd likely never see again.

"Luka...in a completely non homosexual way that I just want to point out in particular considering out conversation of late...you're a good looking man. You could get a ton of girls if you just went out and tried to find one.

"This isn't about boosting my manhood Bry, this is about how I'm not going to just get laid because I want to have sex. I want it to mean something."

"It wont mean anything if you don't go out and meet someone."

"I know, I know, but I can't..." Tala sighed, closing his eyes. He looked exhausted. Sleep was really what he needed, not club hopping with Bryan. Fun as that may be, it was not what he really wanted to do at the moment. "Kiril-"

"God, you're going to ruin your life for that kid you know that?!" Bryan hissed as he pounced on the name. Tala reeled back slightly, dumbfounded by his friend's animosity. "Kiril's a big boy he can handle it if you get a girlfriend."

"He'll hate me if I bring another girl into his life just so she can leave again. He already hates me because of...because of _her..._I can't risk hurting him again."

"Tala...you need to do something for yourself...you can't hang on to a dead girl forever-" the Commander moved so fast that Bryan could only block the strike to his head. It was the only thing that he _could _do though.

"She's not dead!" He shouted as he glared at his _brother. _He shoved the lilac haired man into the wall, his very body shaking with anger and rage. How dare Bryan even suggest it.

In all honesty it was the simple fact that Anna Jones had been his life. He couldn't handle it when she left and now that she _had_ left he was lost and confused. She had been the cause of his pain simply because she had been the barrier against it for so long. In the past she had been the one he'd go to when he needed help. She had been the one he'd go to if he needed to calm his mind.

Now that she was gone, his mental state was unable to cope mainly for the fact that he couldn't figure out how exactly he was supposed to get better. She had taken him to Italy the last time he had been lost and he'd never grown accustomed to healing on his own. There was always someone there that was watching out for him and making sure that he was thinking clearly.

He was at a complete loss now and there was nothing that he could do. Bryan knew it as well as everyone else. They understood that he was holding on to her because he needed her in his life. At the same time though, there was a problem when it came to that reasoning.

Anna was gone. He'd probably never see her again, and he was left behind to pick up the slack. He needed to start healing on his own without worrying about her. He needed to move on.

"Come on Lu..." Bryan whispered as he placed his hand on Tala's arm. The redhead sighed miserably and shook his head.

"No Bryan...I can't...not right now." His voice was soft and quiet, and Bryan could tell that he was breaking under the strain.

"What if Kai came along hmm? Would you like it better? I'll even get Spencer to come."

"They'll be busy-"

"They'll come if you were going. They don't get to see you enough as it is, they'll come."

"If you say so."

And so it was.

They didn't go that night, oh no. Kai was one of the hardest people in the world to track down, and when they finally did track him down they had to get him to clear his schedule. Kai worked almost as much as Tala did, and he seemed to never come back to the school. He did though, he just came back late and left early.

On one such night he stumbled through the front door, tired and exhausted, and blinked at the sight of a little boy sleeping on the stairs. No matter how tired he was, the sight of the child made him smile. He'd stayed up to see him...he missed him. Even if his mind was making up excuses, he walked forwards and knelt down to shake the child awake when a voice at his left alerted him to someone else's presence.

"Uncle Kai you're back!" He looked over towards Kiril who was sipping a drink he had probably just gotten from the kitchen, and he nodded slightly.

"Yeah...just got in." He said, hand still hovering over the sleeping brunette who shifted at the sound of Kiril's voice. Green eyes slowly blinked open and stared up at Kai in shock. "Hey there Sleepy-Head." Kai said with a forced smile. With Kiril right there he couldn't do or say much more then that.

"I waited for you." Kiril announced proudly, and Kai glanced back at him.

"Did you?" He asked softly, feeling a burn of discontent course through him. "Shouldn't you both be in bed right now? It's way past curfew."

"I..." The little brunette, too small for his age, bit his lip. "_We" _He corrected "asked for permission." Kai sighed. Somehow he just knew that the younger boy was the one who asked for permission and Kiril just tagged along.

"Come on! I want to show you my new beyblade-" The bronze haired preteen announced as he rushed forwards to grab the exhausted man's hand. Kai shook his head though.

"Maybe later Kiril, I have to talk to Adrien for a minute. I was just going to talk to him tomorrow, but since you're here now I won't have to worry about cancelling a meeting." The smaller boy glanced up at him with wide eyes, and Kiril's face flushed with embarrassment. "I'll stop by tomorrow though Kiril, you can show me then."

"You always give a time frame that you never follow." The boy replied stubbornly.

"I can meet with you another time Sir..." Adrien tried softly.

"No, no. Bryan told me there's something going on with your grades in school that I should be aware of and I want to know what's happening. If I get this done now I can play with Kiril a lot more tomorrow." He smiled charmingly towards his nephew who sighed and nodded grudgingly.

"Whatever you say Kai." The preteen muttered as he started back up the stairs. Adrien told him he'd be up in a little bit, and then looked back at Kai who was struggling to get the sleep out of his eyes. He really was too tired for all of this.

"Let's go up to my room. You want something to eat? I think I still have some cookies or something in my bag..." He unclasped the strap on his messenger bag and started to fiddle around in it until a few _Chips Ahoy!_ were located. No self respecting eleven year old would ever turn down the offer, but Adrien some how managed it.

"Milk." He said simply and Kai just shook his head.

"Fine fine, but you're going to make me pass out on the way up to my room. You might just have to carry me back!" He started walking to the dorm's kitchen anyway, and Adrien smiled up at him.

"That's okay, you can do with some milk and cookies."

"You know, they're for you – not me."

"We can share them."

"You're a weird kid."

"Yeah...how was your trip?" He asked, biting his lip as they entered the dark room. Kai shrugged and closed his eyes for a second before calling out 'watch your eyes' and flicking the switch. He closed the door behind them and drew the blinds so that the outside of the kitchen couldn't see if there was a light on. He then pulled some milk out of the fridge and poured them both a glass.

"Long....hard..."

"The flight?" Kai couldn't help but crack a grin and give the boy a noogie.

"You're not supposed to be worrying about me you little twerp." He chided lightly. Adrien laughed and shook his head.

"Sorry." Though it really didn't look like he was all that sorry.

"So, what's this I hear about your grades hmm?"

"You were serious?" The eleven year old scowled slightly and Kai grinned bigger.

"Course I was serious. Bryan tells me you're top of the class, and then randomly you go through...hmm..._forgetful _phases where you don't even know how to load a gun properly. What's going on?"

"Well...bad days and all."

"Bad days spawned by jealous friends that are telling you to fuck up?" Kai translated and the guilty smile was all he needed. "God, I'm starting to hate that brat."

"Don't say that..." Adrien looked honestly worried for a moment and Kai sighed.

"He's just pissing me off, it's alright. Anyway...you're getting real good at what you're doing. You thinking about going for the championships? The team running would be happy to have you I'm sure. I hear you even beat Gabe the other day."

"I don't want to go into beyblading..." Kai arched a brow.

"Is this another jealous friend talking or is it you?"

"I...don't have the physicality to be a good beyblader. I'd only be sub par. Besides...I don't even have a bitbeast."

"None of the younger kids do, we don't exactly have the Abbey's bitbeast factory, and in all honesty I don't really want to ever see that bit of technology again."

"I know. But it's just..."

"Your lungs?" The boy nodded slightly, and Kai sighed. Asthma wasn't conducive to beyblading. Just a little bit too much dust and suddenly there was a problem, then there was the steam and smoke that could rise up. It wouldn't be the first time that someone would be forced to quit because they couldn't physically breathe. "Is there anything you really _do _want to to then, that you're not talking yourself out of?"

"I don't know...what do you do?" Kai laughed at that and shook his head.

"I can take you over to HE if you want, but you probably wouldn't like it there kiddo. It's got too much stuff going on, and people trying to get under your skin, and backstabbing and people are constantly trying to lie to you."

"I'm good at that." Kai cracked a grin at the boy's earnest expression and nodded.

"That you are, I can take you over sometime if you're serious about trying to figure it out. There were a few other kids who wanted to get involved in it-"

"No...I want to know what _you _do. Not what jobs you offer." For a moment Kai didn't quite know what to say. He was quiet and he looked at Adrien seriously. The boy was far more outspoken when he was alone then when he was with a certain friend of his. Kai was quite certain that if the eleven year old had been with Kiril at that moment those words would never have left his mouth. It all came back to a promise Kai had made with the young boy before him. When it was just them, Adrien was allowed to say whatever he wanted however he wanted to do so.

It had taken the child years to be able to open up to him, but now that it had it seemed like he was much bolder in things. Particularly things like that. The question wasn't about working at Hiwatari Enterprises. The question was about succeeding the company. That was a horse of a different color.

"Listen kid-"

"I'm sorry. I know that that was wrong to ask." Shot down again, the boy looked away and Kai could tell that he felt guilty about the question. The heir sighed and dunked the first cookie into the milk before taking a bite.

"I never said that you couldn't ask that question. I told you years ago how I felt about it. If you really want to give it a try I'll see what I can do, but this is a life you can't hide. If you go for it, Kiril's going to know. You're not going to be able to hide this." Adrien bit his lip and looked away for a minute, dunking a cookie himself.

"I didn't say I wanted to do it. I just wanted to know what you do." The fire master couldn't help but feel the age old pain of his heart that he usually felt when this came up. The brunette wouldn't do anything that would make Kiril mad. That would make Kiril mad. That would _really _make Kiril mad.

"Alright." He meant for it to be said with the hurt that he was feeling. He wasn't above guilting an eleven year old to do what he wanted them to do. Predictably green eyes filled with sorrow when he realized he'd hurt the man once more. He looked up and bit his lip, looking every bit the child he really was, but Kai didn't waiver. "My job is to keep the whole company together. I monitor the stocks and trades while also dealing with the higher level complains that rise up through the organization. I'm responsible for the monetary sales and who is to be accepted as a worker at the company. Any trades between the company and any buying out of other companies is my responsibility. I also monitor the wages of the workers and take care of the complaints that may be issued before they can happen. Any new ideas for progress are created by me or my staff directly under me. Everything that occurs within our various offices has to be approved by me first before they can start any projects. If there's a problem in any of the factories or locations I fly out and go oversee it to make sure the problem gets solved."

"It sounds busy." Adrien mumbled and Kai could almost feel the hint of tears. He nodded and passed him another cookie. Chocolate heals all.

"It is, but it's rewarding. Seeing everything work properly is always nice." The boy smiled up at him weakly. "Hey Adrien-" The door opened and he looked up to see Bryan standing there with an eyebrow raised.

"Yo, where you been lately?" He asked as he looked at the two. Kai scowled.

"Where'd your _grammar _go lately?" He shot back as he stood up and gave his so called brother a hug.

"I don't know. What's this little rascal doing out of bed?" Bryan asked as he gave the child a pat on the head. Adrien frowned and moved out of the way. Kai caught him by the wrist and pulled him to his chest for a brief hug.

"Get on upstairs, I'll talk to you more tomorrow alright kiddo?" The boy nodded.

"Night Kai."

"Night Junior." The brunette turned to walk away and Bryan whined that he didn't get a hug.

"Goodnight Officer Kuznetsov." He replied with a quick salute.

"Tight ass." Bryan bit back as the boy vanished out the door. Kai cuffed the man about the ears for the comment too. "Hey what was that for."

"Quit bullying my kid."

"He's not your kid, he said so himself." Bryan hissed in return.

"Yeah well he's still my charge. So quit bullying him. Just because he likes me better-"

"Stuff it Hiwatari. I actually came here to ask you a favor, oh needy one." Kai scowled. He didn't _need _Adrien's companionship, he just wanted it. After six years of playing parent to the boy, he wasn't just going to ignore him because Kiril decided he didn't like his attention anywhere besides on him. It was one of the few things that Adrien ever lied to Kiril about as well. Their friendship that is.

"What is it?"

"I want you to take Tala out to a bar and get him laid." Kai blinked once, twice, and then sat down. He took one of the cookies and dunked it in the milk and Bryan scowled. "What are you, four?"

"I'm dead tired, in a kitchen with milk and cookies, after just talking to an eleven year old for twenty minutes, and my best friend comes asking me a favor about me taking my _brother _who I love _as a brother _to a bar to fuck him. Him being the operative word. Some how I don't think Adeline would approve." Bryan scowled.

"I don't want _you _to screw him you insufferable ass!"

"Who's Kai screwing?" Spencer appeared on the scene and Kai rolled his eyes.

"_Not _screwing was the key word there Spence!" Bryan grit in.

"Does anybody in this place ever sleep!?" Kai snapped as he downed his milk and Adrien's too for good measure.

"Apparently not." Tala was there suddenly and Kai smiled over to him. "Off of work so soon, what you take the rest of the night off?" His smile faded. Why was everybody picking on him today? It really _wasn't _funny any more.

"Actually if you must know I just got back from France-"

"Yes, and a little birdie was filling in the gaps before we came." Bryan sneered.

"So you're the reason Kiril was harping at me about Adrien being allowed to stay up and he wasn't." Tala scoffed as he snatched a cookie and nibbled on it.

"Oh great, now that we've agreed I've completely ruined anyone's chance of sleeping, can we back to the favor of me screwing Tala?" Kai was seriously not enjoying this conversation any longer.

"Excuse me?" The redhead asked, blinking twice and then glancing over at his brother as though he grew three heads.

"_Not _screwing was the key word!" Bryan repeated. "I want us all to go out to a bar and get-"

"If you say 'Tala laid' I'm going to beat your ass." The Commander snapped. "We already talked about this, I don't want to go to a bar."

"Well it's not a bar, but I've got a bit of an arrangement tomorrow at the Club of Aces you can all join me on." Kai popped in, shrugging slightly as he pulled out his beyblade and held it over a scanner above the fridge. A cabinet opened and he pulled out a bottle of gin and some tonic before fixing himself a drink. He returned the ingredients to the cupboard and locked it again before turning around and looking back at the group. "Adeline's coming at least, she came back with me from France."

"Sounds perfect." Bryan hooted with a great smile. Tala groaned.

"I have work to do!"

"You need a break Tal' it'll be fun."

"I have _work, _not _breaks_ planned!"

"Yeah, but you know that the work isn't going to give you as much pleasure as the fun, so let loose and live a little."

"Ass!" And a fight promptly broke out.


	4. False Smiles and Fake Promises

**Windstar: **GREAT NEWS: since I'm going to be stuffing myself blind with turkey and waaaaay too much of everything else, I thought it would only be fair to update this a wee bit quicker then I originally had planned. Again, if I'm stuffed blind I won't be able to see the internet or be able to post things until probably a week from now! So you all get a new chapter and I get to eat turkey and everyone's happy!

(Then again, I already made a turkey with my boyfriend over the weekend. As a precaution, if only two people are going to be dining with you, do NOT get a twenty pound bird. It's not only going to make you stare at it with that "oh shit what do we do now" look, it's also going to take up what precious little you have left in the fridge. I'm going to be eating turkey for the rest of my life apparently. XD)

As a forewarning, this is the last truly...hrm...funny? entertaining? Laughable? Chapter for a while. I'm glad you all enjoyed the one that came before this - I certainly thought ya'll needed a break from all the angst and the like that was surrounding the beginning of this story. So in the future just remember that these two chapters are here!

One thing that I really wasn't expecting was the odd "YEY Adrien and Kai!" gathering that has been created. Talk about a woah! I was worried you'd all be like "umm no? Why would that make any sense?" Thankfully that wasn't the case. I'll promise you now that it does get explained in the future (not this chapter but...next? I think it's next.) I also just want to say that next chapter is going to be a _huge _OC chapter. Apologies, but I did warn ya'll. There's nothing I can really do about that now so I hope you can forgive me.

On a completely different note, I know you all think I'm probably crazy, but I do need to pose this question before I get too involved in it. LAD is almost done. I say almost done because I haven't written any more chapters in over two weeks and it's currently sitting pretty on over twenty of them or so that is winding down to an ending that I can accept and appreciate. What I do not know however, is whether or not you all want the second ending that I've got mulling in my head.

Here are the two, hopefully non revealing options that I have going:

1. Everyone lives happily ever after and that's about all you get. Seriously? Last line of the story is probably going to be a real tear jerking "yey we survived" type deal. It's going to just end on that note and that's that.

2. This one is the muller. (Is that even a word? You can mull over something, but can that something be considered a 'muller' because it's being mulled about? Make that another thing you can comment on. I'd like to know...): everyone still lives happily ever after in the sense of our boys, but I keep on going to a little while longer in a third section of this unbelievably not noticed at all would-be-trilogy that deals with a new generation. In all honesty, even in my head it sounds like it belongs more on fiction-press instead of this site. The only problem is that I can't seem to let go of the real characters and would have them in it. It's up to you, I know you said you don't mind my OCs, but a new generation type deal would probably be completely full of them. Think about it - there are only so many times I can bash around the same people before it gets old.

Let me know what you think, the more we get into the story (because I can't just tell you who or what's going to happen before it happens!) the more you can decide. You don't have to answer right away, but when we get to the end let me know for sure. Depending on how many yeys or nays I get right now though will be the amount of rush I put on writing it. It will NOT be the same length as these two monstrosities, then again I said that about this story and look where it ended up, but it will probably be at least ten chapters long minimum.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything pertaining to beyblading. Adrien, Kiril, Michaels, Mikhail, and any other characters that are unfamiliar to the plot line of the original tale do belong to me.

**Chapter Three: **

While not exactly a bar, it was more of a night club for the upper class. Tala sighed through it all, nodding along and following along mainly because he'd lost the will to argue with any of them. He was surprised, to say the least, when he found out that Adeline was coming along as well.

"Why are you bringing Addy?" He asked his brother when he glanced over to where the blonde was saying goodnight to a few children that had caught sight of her.

"I figured you'd feel more comfortable if she was there." Kai shrugged slightly, glancing over towards him. "Was I wrong?"

To be honest, Tala hadn't thought about what Adeline's presence would do for him. Ever since they'd first met he'd established that she was family to him. At first it had been a teasing comment, but by now it had become simple fact. To him, she was Kai's wife. Regardless of their current lack of true commitment to each other, it was what he perceived it to be.

She was a calming presence to him. When he had been in Italy all those years ago and she had asked him to sing for her, she had managed to reach through a mental barrier he'd put up. He'd thanked her for that and he'd appreciated it to no end. She was simply comfortable being around, and she was the only woman he was comfortable being around since Anna had vanished. She was simply...Kai's woman, and a dear friend.

"No, you weren't." Adeline could probably translate the oddity of the women around him anyway. He'd never understand them or how to translate what they were saying into normal language. Women talked in such odd ways! "But don't you think her family would take some offense if word got out that you took her to a place like this?"

"Like what? It's a night club. It's not a brothel or a run of the mill bar. You have to either work in the government or have a salary in the triple digits to get in anyway." Kai shrugged. "They're our peers." Tala scoffed.

"I hate my peers."

"Yeah well, I don't like them much either. In all honesty, Bry's plan is better."

"Then why are we going to this place?"

"You really want to know?" He sighed and looked over to his brother.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because I have a business meeting there." The look on Tala's face was priceless. "You have the second highest shares of HE. You're on the board of managers too, so..."

"You're kidding me. We're going to this place because you have a meeting?"

"Yeah. I tried to get out of it, you have no idea. I have to go or else they'll start challenging my control over HE." Tala frowned heavily at that.

"Can they do that?" He didn't understand how HE's politics worked, and he just sided with Kai with everything. He figured that Kai knew how to handle everything anyway. The young president of the company had been initiated as its leader when Voltaire had stepped down. He'd been running the corporation for the past five months or so, and he was being challenged left and right. Tala knew that...but he didn't think people could just kick Kai out of power randomly like he was making it sound.

Kai sighed and Tala could easily see how weary the other was. He had been impossible to get a hold of lately, and the fact that he had shown up at all tonight was a treat. The slightly younger man leaned towards his companion and touched his head to his brother's. He was burning up slightly.

"They think they can do whatever it is they want to do. They keep challenging me on who my second is."

"Ah...and who is your second?" Tala frowned as Kai pulled back with a slight laugh.

"Aren't you listening?" He asked as he raised his eyebrow.

"Not really."

"You have the second highest shares in the company."

"Yeah..."

"You're automatically the second in command on any and all decisions."

"Well I only got those shares because Voltaire-"

"Yeah, yeah, well he gave you those shares because he knew there was going to be a problem like this."

"So let me get this straight. We're going to this...not a bar..._night club_...for a business meeting, and so I can meet a girl to get laid?" He didn't see how the two made much sense or even worked well together, and Kai laughed at that.

"Well the second part is our true mission, the meeting's more of a 'hey, this is my brother, he's also in charge...by."' Tala glowered at his brother who smiled brightly up at him.

"You're such a prat."

"Yeah, well, what can I say? You _are _the second in command of the largest organization in the world."

"Funny how I never got that memo."

"You just don't pay any attention to anything."

"Somehow I would have paid attention to the notice saying that I controlled the second most shares of a company that has more workers in it then some states in the US." Tala muttered.

"Only the last seven states, but most of them are really small in population anyway."

"Doesn't Wyoming have only a few thousand people in it in the first place?"

"Yeah well, go figure." Adeline was walking towards them, her hair put up nicely and her clothes were designer made and beautiful as always. Simple jeans that hugged her closely, and a silk shirt was placed under a cute jacket that showed off her slim body nicely. Her hair was up in a beautiful ponytail that had a few accents over the scalp that looked like flowers that had been threaded through braids that were small and nearly invisible. Her bangs hung down in little curls that only made her face pop out all the more. She was gorgeous as always and Kai smiled at her as he held out his hand and kissed hers when she took it.

Bryan and Spencer were at her left and right and they teasingly held out their hands for kisses too, but were ignored easily enough. Tala laughed, shaking his head slightly. He stepped forwards and kissed the princess's cheeks by way of greeting.

"Bonne soirée, ma chère Zolovka." _Good evening my dear Sister-in-law_. She laughed, shaking her head at the mix-matched Russian and French that he'd given her, as she gave him a brief (but loving) hug.

"Bonsoir Dever'!" _Good evening brother-in-law! _He giggled like a little school boy when she answered him in the same odd combination of their native tongues.

"You out did yourself for our cause Adel!" Bryan hooted as he caught the girl from behing and swung her about. Kai stopped it instantly, knocking his _brother _upside the head to show his displeasure even as Adeline laughed.

"Now did I?" She questioned coyly, and Bryan nodded eagerly, ignoring Kai's knock to the head.

"You didn't need to get all dressed up, we all know who you belong too." Her face flushed beautifully, and Kai growled under his breath.

"I'll have you know, that _I _belong to no one!" She said as she sputtered slightly. As they were going at it, Kai's cell phone rang and he grimaced slightly before answering it and walking off to the side so he could complete his call. Tala looked over to him worriedly.

He wasn't entirely all _for _the idea of going out to find him a girl, but at the same time, he knew that this was a good chance for them all to be together again. Well...almost all of them. Ian had practically vanished out of their lives, and he only showed up once or twice a year and sent a card on Christmas. Not exactly the kind of behaviour a _best friend _should have...but that was life...

Tala had sorely started to miss his friends and his family. That they were mostly all going out made him smile. He'd even deal with the playful teasing that the others were giving him. He couldn't help it, he was starved for time to be with them.

Everything in the past few years had been paperwork and missions. He barely even had time to be with Kiril, and he knew that the boy resented him for it. He couldn't help it though, he honestly didn't have a clue as to what it was he should say or do to anyone anymore. So he forced himself to focus to the one thing he did at least understand.

Looking over at Kai though, he could tell that Kai too was having trouble with keeping up with the workload. HE had been passed over to him not all that long ago, and now that he was the president of the company, he seemed to be dragged down every second of every day. Even on his night off he seemed to be forced to deal with the pompus asses that made up his board of managers.

Even _he _wasn't looking forwards to dealing with these people, and he worked with criminals almost every day of his life.

"No, if you can't make it you'll just have to get the notes tomorrow....No, we're not going to have this meeting at the office...." Kai was all but seething as he hissed into his phone. Tala glanced up at him and frowned heavily. Turning towards Adeline, who had stopped teasing the other two, he motioned towards his brother.

"What's going on down at HE?" He asked softly. She sighed.

"They're doing everything they can to get him to turn over the corporation to the board."

"That business is his birthright." Tala argued, and she nodded.

"I know that, he knows that, they know that, but that business also makes over a billion dollars in profit every year. That it's run by someone who's only twenty-four is something-"

"That they need to deal with. HE is his."

"Yes, but Lu, they're purposefully giving him more work then he needs to do, and they're challenging him every step of the way. He can't just fire them because they own the stocks and therefore they own parts of the company. Yes he has more stocks because it _is _his company, but he can't just kick them out."

"How much are their stocks worth?"

"Over a hundred million each." He scowled at the figure. He let Kai handle the money for the school, and he had always just let him move his money left and right as he saw fit. He didn't care, he had a pay check from the ISA and he lived off that mostly. He knew he _had _a secret bank account somewhere with all that information in it, but he had never accessed it and it never bothered him. Knowing that he had more shares then all of _them _though...made him shiver at the thought that he was making more money then he could have dreamed of off his ISA salary.

"So what exactly are they doing to piss him off so much?" She nodded, biting her lip as she glanced towards Kai. He was radiating hate and anger with every breath he took. It seemed like every hair on the back of his neck was upright and furious. He was pissed off!

"Well for one...you know Jem from marketing?" It took the redhead a minute, but he did know who she was talking about.

When they were still at the Abbey, they had visited HE every once and a while as something that Voltaire just wanted to do with them. Kai was obviously there more often then he himself was, but that didn't really matter since he didn't care for business anyway. There was a lovely young intern there who was always sneaking them cookies and other types of little gifts. He still had the rubix cube he'd gotten one year in his closet...somewhere.

She had advanced through the ranks and eventually became a very good supervisor that (if he was remembering correctly) was newly married and just had a little girl not too long ago. She was a sweetheart and very good at her job too.

"Yeah, what about her?" He asked, frowning. He couldn't figure out anything that they might want to have done to her. Except promote her, but Kai never would have been frustrated at that. It was actually something he was keen on doing...

"They fired her last Wednesday." He stared at the blonde in dumb shock. He could hardly believe what she'd just said, and for a moment, he just blinked at her.

"What on Earth...why?"

"Because she was spending too much time away from the company-"

"She just had a baby!"

"Yeah, well they waited for her to miss a few extra days after her leave before doing it. Kai was furious when he found out. He wanted to kill them. I think that a lot of the meetings he's had lately has been about that. They keep firing anyone that has a strong like for him. Pretty soon the only ones that'll be left in the company are people who've never met him or have any idea who he is." Adeline glanced back towards where Kai was obviously stressing in the corner. "He can't seem to get them under control..."

Bryan turned and looked over towards where Kai was finally hanging up his phone. The twenty four year old heir was looking pissed off to say the least, and Bryan started grinning like a fool. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders and smiled quite happily.

"You want me to bash a few heads in?" He teased.

"Yes. I'll point them out, you go to jail, perfect plan." Kai muttered, clearly still frustrated.

"Nah, you can't send him to jail, he's one of my men. He'll get a slap on the wrist though." Tala joked back.

"Oooh, I'm so scared. A slap on the wrist. The horrors of all horrors." Bryan ruffled his little _brother's _hair hand the group started heading out towards the door. "I can't wait to meet these people!"

And meet them he did.

The club was a nice little place where the music was _too _loud, and Tala still winced slightly when he walked through the door. It wasn't quite the music he really wanted to hear. Anyway, he ignored it the best he could and moved to follow Kai and Adeline across the floor to wherever this meeting was going to occur.

It didn't take all that long before one of the vipers came out and started to accost the group of young adults. Two were secretaries who just _happened _to be in the club. Kai could have sworn that they were sent there on purpose to annoy him, but he forced a pleasant smile on his face as they came over.

"Annabelle..." Tala flinched at the name. Kai sent him a worried look. "Trinity." He continued to the second girl.

"Mr. Kai! It's so wonderful to see you, I didn't realize you went to places like this!" Annabelle said as she batted her eye lashes to him, one of her arms slinking through one of his. He could have gagged on the amount of perfume she was wearing, and he scowled despite himself.

"Imagine that." He hissed as he glanced towards Adeline who was watching the scene rather good naturedly. One blonde eyebrow was raised ever so slightly at the display though, but everyone knew that she knew perfectly well what the general opinion of Kai's body was.

_To have sex with Kai was to have the black mail information from God! _It didn't even matter how good he was in bed or how bad he was in it. All it took was one little poke and an illegitamate child later and he was as good as ruined. So obviously, everyone who worked for him was conspiring.

"Who's this?" Trinity asked as she looked towards Adeline with a snooty expression on her face. The other blonde eyebrow went up, and blue eyes glanced towards Tala who was frowning slightly. Kai looked glad for it though and he moved towards her. He took his arm away from Annabelle's, and he slung it around his beloved's waist.

"My date for the evening. Annabelle, Trinity, may I have the honor of introducing Lady Adeline, Princesse Napoleon of France?" The looks on the two wannabe's faces was priceless. The both of them could do nothing but stare at her. She couldn't keep the conceited grin off her face either. Sometimes it was good to have that particular title.

"Princess?"

"Oui, enchanté de faire votre connaissance." _Yes, nice to meet you. _She said it purposefully in French. Better have them think she spoke no Russian, then to have them think she understood. It was an easy ploy for her to play. Especially considering how she didn't really want to talk to them anyway.

"Ah...enchante..." They didn't quite know what to say and so they just left it to Kai who told them quite easily enough that they were blabbering idiots that he absolutely hated to work with. Of course he used French while he was doing it, and the girl erupted into a brilliant smile as she quite happily let them think that he was simply saying what good workers they were.

Tala cracked a grin, which instantly earned him the attention of Trinity who was taking in the other fresh meat. She locked onto Tala who was very swiftly deciding that he didn't like this game of catch and mouse, and the girl flaunted to his side.

"And who is this? A body guard perhaps?" She teased as she looked at Kai. Kai frowned, and then suddenly an evil idea picked his brain.

"Actually Tala's my older brother." He said simply, and instantly both girls and a few other people in the room snapped over to look at who had just been introduced as the great Kai Hiwatari's older brother.

Tala knew well enough what Kai had done and he glowered at him. Now everyone was going to want to talk to him, and while, yes, it would ensure him a date...it also meant he was going to have a headache at the end of the night. He glared at him only for a moment though, before he was back to smiling for appearances sake.

"Your...your _older _brother?" They were clarifying, and like vultures suddenly they circled around him. "My, my, you two don't look anything alike!"

Tala was the opposite of a business man, and with Bryan at his side the two looked more likely to start a brawl then sign in on some sort of business deal. In all honesty, Kai looked like that too. The only difference was that he actually paid slightly more attention to the clothes he wore for the presentation of appearance he was trying to portray. For instance: right now he was in a suit and tie, his hair was still a bit long, but it was put back tidily. He looked very mature.

Both Tala and Bryan had piercings and tattoos which were visible. Bryan's ears were pierced no less then five times per ear, and had a large falcon tattoo on his right arm that was shown off by the loose vest he was wearing over his naked chest. Tala only had one pierced ear, and on his wrist there was a wolf tattoo that was branded over his veins. It could easily have been hid by a watch or some such nonsense, but he didn't particularly care. It was something special to him and he never hid it.

Kai had a tattoo as well, his wasn't nearly as obvious though. On his back, hidden delicately by his clothes, was a large red bird. It's wings were burning with a flame and it's eyes were sharp and cunning. Around it were ashes and it appeared to rise up out of them. An allusion to the old story about the fire bird. The phoenix was beautiful, and it had been drawn by none other then the red head to his left.

Tala had designed all of the bitbeast tattoos that the other Officers had. Ian had a snake around his shoulders, and Spencer had a whale that swam across his arm. They'd gotten the tattoos as more of a homage then anything else. They wanted to give thanks to their dear friends who had helped them throughout their lives. It was important for them to do so. They truly needed to do it.

Still, when trying to make first impressions, the ink didn't look too trustworthy. Especially when the people displaying the marks looked like thugs in the first place. Tala's hair was pulled back and he was standing in an extremely relaxed and bored stance. His hands were in his pockets and he'd really made no move to introduce himself to the harpies.

The only ones who were at all pleasurable were Adeline and Kai who were used to this kind of behavior. He didn't like it though, it turned him off almost instantly. They were struggling to figure out what to say to him, when suddenly their group was called over to a table in the back corner where some of the board were waiting already for them. Tala could recognize one or two of them easily enough, and he sighed when he stared at them.

Somehow he didn't think they were going to have _time _tonight to just sit down and relax with their friends. He couldn't imagine _what _had given him _that _impression. Sighing though, he glanced to Kai who was frowning. Their group started to head up towards the table.

"Ah , welcome." A weevil faced jack ass named Cirano Hodges was beckoning them, and Tala couldn't help but snort a little when Bryan muttered (_"I've seen rats that look better then that!")_ under his breath. "You must be young Mr. Ivanov, correct?" He was looking at Tala as though he was meat on a skewer, and the Commander wasn't liking it. He didn't look for long though, his attention was back on the two other Officers and Adeline. "I'm afraid this is a private meeting, would you mind having your...guests...wait for you elsewhere?"

"If you're assuming that Princess Napoleon is not welcome in any proceedings of mine you're sorely mistaken." Kai snapped as a sharp tongued executive. His arm hugged the woman close to his side, and she raised a golden eyebrow at the others as though they had any right to deny her access. Cirano hesitated for a brief moment before smiling wickedly.

"Of course not my dear boy, we simply were saying that Mr. Ivanov's honorable companions would perhaps feel better in a less stuffy environment. I'm sure they don't want to stay here discussing stocks and trades with a bunch of stuffy old men all night." Tala raised an eyebrow.

"Are you calling me a stuffy old man? I'm twenty-four not seventy eight, Cirano." The man recoiled, not expecting the blunt words to come out of the unknown entity's face. He hadn't calculated Tala yet, so he didn't know quite where he stood. Clearly, for now, he stood by Kai. That could change in a matter of minutes.

"Of course not, of course not. Shall we proceed?" He was giving Spencer and Bryan a dirty look and the two looked intently at Tala who shrugged.

"Why don't you scope the floor eh, Bry?" He said simply, and the other nodded. "Find yourself a date and have a good time, this shouldn't take long." He moved forwards and took a seat next to the head of the table, and Kai sat beside him. Adeline sat on his other side.

There were five people in total. Cirano, Stanislav Putin, Fredrich Heinz, Maureen O'brien, and Torin James. Cirano was by far the most cunning and the most annoying out of all of them. He was the ringleader that had been there almost as long as Voltaire. Everyone believed him to be the true heir to the company simply because he had over sixty years working for them and Kai had a grand total of a few months and Hiwatari blood running through his veins.

"So, this is the first time that many of us have had the honor of meeting you Mr. Ivanov. We weren't aware until just recently that you maintained so many shares of the company." Cirano was talking, his voice like ice. What he meant to say was something along the lines of _I can't believe I forgot that you had such a birthright. _

Tala too was an heir of HE, it was a simple matter of the fact that he really didn't want to get involved with the business. He was very happy running around the world blowing things up and making arrests. Sitting in an office all day bugged him. He didn't even like his own office! He couldn't understand how Kai did it.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to the class?" Kai mumbled as he glanced over at him.

"Sure, why not. My name is Tala Ivanov, I'm the head of the International Security Agency's Special Operations units in Russia. My parents are Nikoli Ivanov and Aya Hiwatari-Ivanov. I'm Kai's brother..." He shrugged slightly. "I work at the F-Five Institute."

"You work for the ISA?" Cirano blinked, he didn't look like he was _quite _expecting that.

"Yeah, as a field officer and commander." He nodded, shrugging slightly. "I don't really care much for HE, I'm not a business man. What I do want to know, is why the hell you people keep making things hard on him for no reason?"

"Lu-" Kai hissed at him under his breath, and he glanced up.

"What? Am I wrong? This whole business meeting tonight is a joke." He scowled and looked over at the group that were shifting uncomfortably. Cirano looked particularly pissed off, but he controlled himself with a gentle smile.

"Mr. Ivanov...I wonder if I could have a moment of your time. In private?" Tala glowered.

"I just got here." He muttered.

"It'll be just a brief moment...It's very important."

"And it cant be said in front of my brother?"

"It's not that...it's just...if you will indulge me?" Cirano was smiling at him, but he felt sick to his stomach. He didn't want to listen to this bastard any longer then he had too, but for some reason, he knew that if he didn't go with him he'd never hear the end of it.

So with a quick glance at his brother, he sighed and stood up to follow the bastard out towards the bar a bit more. He ordered a scotch and stared up at Cirano with a dark frown on his face. He wasn't happy at all, and he didn't want to bother with this man right now. He came because he wanted to be with his brothers for a night of relaxation. The man smiled at him sickeningly, and he glowered.

Why was it he suddenly felt that being with this man was more difficult then being with people who wanted to kill him? Then he shuddered slightly. _Because people who wanted to kill him on the job were up front about it, he didn't know this man's intentions._

"Mr. Ivanov, I'm not sure if you're aware of this...but your brother is not qualified to be running an institution of this magnitude." Blue eyes narrowed darkly. Kai had been running HE from behind the scenes for years. Voltaire had let him make all the decisions for the company for years now, just to see how he did. Kai had practically doubled their profit last year! "Perhaps in a few years hen he's gotten more training under his belt, but a man such as yourself must understand risks."

"Risks." Tala frowned and leaned forwards on his hands.

"A man in your position shouldn't be too quick to judge what we have to offer."

"What do you mean?" The redhead murmured with a slight frown.

"With your shares...you could very well be in control of the company."

"I already told you that I have no interest in controlling HE-"

"You wouldn't have too. To gain control of HE you would need to have more shares then Kai. The only way that would happen, is if you and the rest of the board members put their shares together." Tala smiled slightly. He understood perfectly now.

"If all of us put our shares together, because I had the most to start with, I would be the leader. Yet because I don't want to...you all would run the company in my stead...while I still made a profit." He smirked. That was a nifty plan. He'd be making more money then he could dream of, and he didn't need to worry about doing any of the business end parts. It really was a sweet deal. "And Kai?"

"He'll still be a board member, so he'll be well taken care of. You don't want to have your baby brother be under so much stress do you? You've seen how hard he works I'm sure. He won't be so tired..." Tala forced himself to not scowl hatefully at the way the man was making it sound. It was a deal for him, not for Kai. But he managed to keep his calm.

"Our shares put together...makes me the leader of the company right?"

"Yes..."

"That means that I can do whatever I want to...."

"Yes..."

"And if you run the business end, then I won't have to worry about stocks and meetings."

"Right."

"I can still be with the ISA."

"Yes."

"Alright. I like this plan." Tala smiled, but it was nothing compared to Cirano who was grinning. The man won. He had gained complete control over HE this way, and it was a breeze. Tala couldn't help himself, he laughed giddily. "Besides, it'll mean that Kai'll have time to actually do some missions with me every now and then."

"True." The man was nodding encouragingly. The two of them started to walk back towards the table, and Tala caught sight of the worried look in his brother's eyes. He grinned despite himself. Very soon Kai won't have to worry about a thing, everything will work out according to plan.

"You alright?" The younger man whispered, and he nodded.

The two of them sat down, and Kai looked over to him beseechingly. Tala grinned with a secret smile.

"You're back on active duty little brother." Red eyes narrowed in an instant.

"Excuse me?"

"You're back on active duty. I want to have you in Bry's office by eight."

"Yeah, I got that, have you completely lost your mind?" He stared at Tala in confusion, and Tala couldn't help but smile.

"Nah, apparently I'm your new boss." Kai blinked once, twice, did mental math, and then scowled.

"You all are pooling your shares?" He muttered, glowering at them, and they nodded quickly.

"I always did like that chair in your office. Besides, I needed you in the field this week." Tala shrugged and glanced at everyone. "I think this meeting is over ya?" They nodded quickly, and started to depart. The two secretaries both came over after the meeting was over and kissed the redhead twice on the cheek before walking away from Kai.

Kai, to his credit, waited until they were mostly gone before punching his brother clear in the face and knocking him over a table and a few chairs. Adeline screamed and grabbed her beloved's arm to stop him from doing any more damage.

"What the fuck did you do that for you prick?" Kai hissed, but Tala just smiled.

"I figured you could use a week off. Don't worry, it won't last long. I hate that freaking company."

It was true though, it didn't last long.

That week, Kai stayed home and helped out in the classes around the campus. He joked around with Bryan and Tala and they even went on a mission or two together. He was happy enough to say that for the first time in a long time he had a few moments to himself. He and Adeline went out for dinner every night and he treated her like a right ol' gentleman. It was time off that he sorely needed.

He even played with Kiril just like he promised. He spent many days with Kiril and Adrien working with them and listening to their inquiries. It was the best week he'd had in years.

Tala went back and forth to HE often enough, signing papers and getting the shares to transfer over into his name, and by the end of things, he was (for a few days) the person with the highest income in the entire world. It felt good, and he liked it, but he knew it wasn't going to last. (That didn't stop him from waiting until the end of the week for his paycheck to come in though before continuing on with his scheme.)

He started with Maureen O'Brien and Torin James. Both of them were fired on the spot as soon as the ink was on the paper. He called a few security guards and police officers to help him escort them out of the building. He didn't want to deal with their whining any more then the next person. After that the next three fell, one by one.

He found that he really liked the power of firing people he didn't like. He never bothered to fire people before because he expected such a high level of excellence out of them in the first place that he had no worries. No one ever needed to _be _fired.

For some reason, Cirano couldn't understand what had happened. He blinked once, twice, and then again, and the answer still didn't make sense. As Tala stared at him with unflinching eyes, the only thing he could think of was how he had been completely and utterly fooled. He hated being played, but that wasn't what this was about.

They had fucked around with Kai Hiwatari, and his brother didn't appreciate that fact. He didn't appreciate it at all. No one made his brother get hurt like that. No one hurt him in that way. Kai was not to be messed with.

"You can't do that!"

"I made sure that I had complete power, which you gave me. Why would you assume I wouldn't use it on you? You think just because my brother doesn't have the guts to fire you, _I _wouldn't? Are you serious? I work for one of the most back stabbing agencies in the world. We purposefully hunt down people who are untrustworthy and we take them down. Why on earth would you think you weren't someone I would take out with the way you were treating?"

"I...you...you could have..."

"I'm the heir to millions that I never even touch. Why do you think a few extra millions would make me happy too?" Tala raised an eyebrow, and in perfect timing his brother walked in. "Ah, Kai, you need to get over here and sign this piece of paper before I get persnickety."

"Oh my, you getting persnickety...whatever would I do?" Kai laughed as he moved towards his brother.

"What is that? What is that that you're signing?" Cirano howled like a wounded animal.

"I'm signing over all the bonds that you stupidly sold to me." Tala shrugged. "I'm happy with my inheritance, I don't need your shares or whatever too. This whole business thing doesn't make much sense to me anyway. I'll let Kai deal with it."

Tala sighed though, that night, as he went back to the school, nothing had changed. Kai apologized again and again for getting him involved with HE's problems, but he just said that it was alright. He didn't mind anyway. It was nice to take a break for a little while. Still...he was kind of glad for the interjection of the company's issues. It meant that he wouldn't have to find a date. He was free to be a loner again...and he was free to think about a pretty young girl with brown hair and brown eyes who had spirited away from his life.

**Windstar: **Now, if I had posted that instead of last chapter, wouldn't you have been confused? Don't forget my inquiry above. Thanks again, and I'll see you next week with a much longer chapter update!


	5. Well, Well, Well

**Windstar: **I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know I did. If you didn't have Thanksgiving because you don't celebrate it- well, I hope you had a good week! This chapter is the very start of the story kicking off, although you won't get to the real meat of the story for a little bit. Once again, this used to be one chapter but when it started to get to be twenty pages long I decided to take it apart. So really this is part one. Part two is coming up next week sometime.

I've been writing my book a lot too, and so I haven't really worked on this in a little bit. Let me tell you though, juggling fanfiction and my novel at the same time is more then a little complicated. I wish someone could just clear everything away from my plate. I can't wait for break. Finals are in two weeks so once those are done I should have more then enough time to work this out.

Thanks to my awesome reviewers. I had more reviews last week then ever before. Nice! I hope it'll continue. Enjoy!

As an FYI - this chapter is meant to be a little confusing. Sorry, it won't get explained for a while.

**Chapter Four:**

As the years past Kiril was a far cry from the happy nine year old he'd been before Anna had left and before that dreadful year had begun. For one, he was bossy and arrogant and he shoved almost everyone away from him with snarky barbs and cruel words. The only person who stayed around him was Adrien...sweet young Adrien who had been his roommate almost his entire life.

Adrien wasn't the strongest of boys, but he was agile and skilled with weaponry. He didn't use his brute force like some of the others did, so it was hard to classify him as a fighter or even a blader. He was thin and tiny and yet he carried a ruthless streak that many would find odd in such a small child.

When he beybladed his attacks were few and his defense was unparalleled. Even Tala would admit that Adrien had the capacity to be the champion of the world. It was just how he acted. He had a blank neutrality that made him calm, cool, and collected. When he was in the dish, he let the other wear themselves down and then he would easily knock them out of the dish when they made a fatal error.

If he only didn't have those damn lung problems!

He took his time in everything he did, and he always saw things to the end. It was his nature, and he was rather black and white about things. Still, for all his cut throat way of looking at the world, he was blind completely to Kiril. He didn't seem to know the dark truths that ran through Kiril's mind, and he didn't seem to particularly care even if he did know.

There was only one lesson he remembered from his times at the Abbey. Kiril was to be protected at all costs. Any harm to him meant harm to Adrien, and _his _harm would always be worse then the so called Prince of the World. So he was loyal to a T, and blind as a bat to everything Kiril said and did.

When it came to that boy he had no opinion, he had no interests, and he had nothing he wanted to do that didn't involve whatever Kiril wanted to do. He would be perfectly happy sitting in a room all by himself if that was what Kiril had told him to do.

And it didn't take long for Kiril to realize it either.

With the massive attitude change that shook the foundations of everything the Officers at the Fortune Five Hundred Campus thought about child raising, Kiril became extremely cruel at times to his little friend who followed him around like a stray dog. He purposefully said things at times that were meant to hurt the boy. He purposefully lashed out, aiming to cause pain. It was almost as if it was a constant test.

_Now, at sixteen years of age, Kiril could easily remember everything he'd done to make that child's life hell. He purposefully forced him to not have a family to be there for him, and on one such incident he had earned a right beating from Tala, but even he had to admit he deserved it. Still, he hadn't known the details of that time until just recently. Closing his eyes he forced himself to try to remember it as it happened. He wanted to know exactly how he ended up in the position he was in now. He wanted to remember. So he forced himself to remember all the little details, and when he couldn't remeber something perfectly - he strained ever harder. Even his subconscious had limits to it's ability to keep him from understanding. _

When the brunette was six years old Kai had told Adrien that he was going to adopt him. The little boy had stared up at him with such confusion and misunderstanding. He didn't quite know what to say about all that, and Kai translated it for him.

"Legally you're my responsibility." He said gently, holding the boy's eyes with his own. Not too far off Kiril remembered watching the scene with Tala and Anna. He'd discovered his own adoption not too long before, and let it never be said that Adrien wasn't a smart boy.

"Is it 'cause Kiril's adopted too?" He asked almost instantly. "'Cause I don' need a new daddy." Kai had smiled and shaken his head.

"Nah kid. It's got nothing to do with Kiril. It's about you. It's always been about you. You don't have to call me dad-"

"Cause I wont. You're not my dad."

"And I won't replace him either." Kai affirmed simply enough, not swayed by the child's stubbornness.

"So why are you adopting me?" Kai just smiled at him with a great grin.

"Because I want to take care of you and see you grow up strong and well." Adrien frowned slightly, and Kai knew full well that the boy's pain ran deep when it came to his parents.

"Do whatever you want, I can't control you." He had said at long last, and while it wasn't full acceptance, it wasn't a 'no' either. The papers were signed and for the next four years Kai struggled to make Adrien trust him

It had started with little things. The boy would go back to the dorm and there'd be a new toy there waiting for him, or randomly Kai would take him out to the park and play with him. He had done much of that before he had signed the papers, and so the continual reinforcement of it only served to make the boy slightly less wary about the idea.

Kai didn't want the boy to think that he was buying his affection though, and so he never spoiled him too much. He bought him things, that was for certain, but he never lavished him with gifts to the point of insanity. Kai had never been like that. He just shrugged and moved on full steam ahead. He was never put off by the boy's reluctance and he was always encouraged by every small smile that he was given.

Kai just wasn't capable of being brought down. He took him to HE every once and a while when he really had no other choice, and the boy sat in his office playing video games while he filled out paperwork. He was always rewarded with McDonalds and junk food and usually a movie for his patience.

Slowly yet surely it just became routine, and without even realizing it, the boy had found that he was craving outings with the man. He wanted to go and play with this aloof man that would scoff at the thought of playing with anyone else. He wanted to do things with him. Kai's presence in his life made him happy.

Especially when the man took him and Kiril both out. They'd go to amusement parks and they'd just play and have fun and laugh. Everything was going wonderfully, and as Kiril thought back on it, he realized exactly what he had ruined by his actions...that was the first of many things he'd done to make Adrien leave him alone.

He'd always known how much Kai meant to Adrien, and so when he'd made his verdict back then, he'd expected the brunette to leave him like he'd asked. He didn't though...he did the opposite.

It was just after Anna had left and Kiril had been brought back for the first time. Adrien had stayed with him for days as the boy cried and cried. Now that he was home for the first time in so long, the bronze haired child was completely at a loss at what it was he was supposed to do or say. His mind was filled of terrible images.

Tala unconscious on the plane, ignorant to the world, and Kai being difficult to understand as he stared stiffly out the window the whole ride back. He felt like no one cared anymore, and Adrien was the one who gently told him that he'd always care.

Weeks passed, and Kiril's bitter attitude change came about full force. He watched angrily as Adrien managed to smile and be happy whenever the topic of Kai came up, and it burned his soul. He was adopted too, but he could only find hatred towards his so called parents. It should be the same way!

"Kai's going to take me to a gala at HE, he said he's going to introduce me as his son there." Adrien said once as he was dressing for the event. Kiril felt anger coursing through his veins and he clenched his fists hatefully.

"Tell Kai you don't want to be his son anymore." He ordered sharply. The brunette turned and stared at him in confusion. He didn't understand.

_Wait a moment...that's not right. _

"Huh?" He asked as he tied his shoes.

"Tell Kai that you don't want to be his son anymore. Leave him, or leave me alone for good." The boy blinked once, twice, and then couldn't help but stare slack jawed at his friend.

"W-why?" He managed to ask at long last. "What'd I do-"

"I'm sick of seeing you with him, you're supposed to be with me. You're supposed to stay by my side and do what I say, isn't that what you promised?" Adrien nodded slowly, even as his face drained of color. "So either break your promise to your _real _father, or go play with your fake one. I'm sure you must love Kai better by now though, so it doesn't mater. You've already forgotten that he's not your real father haven't you?" The boy flinched and looked away. "Cut off all ties with him, stop talking to him unless you absolutely have to for school or because he's being an Officer, and don't associate with him at all, or stay away from me. I don't want a friend that's a hypocrite!" Adrien was frozen stiff, his eyes disbelieving as they stared at Kiril. There was silence...silence for ages.

_This didn't sound right. Where had this memory even come from?_

A knock sounded on the door a few minutes later. Kai was standing there expectantly.

"Ready to go kiddo?" He asked lightly, and the nine year old nodded slowly, though even as he walked towards him, his posture was rigid. Kiril could practically read his mind. He'd chosen his words carefully after all.

He watched them go. Standing at the window he watched as they walked outside and towards the limo that was going to take them to the party. Kai was smiling excitedly and as they got in the car, Kiril knew that he'd won. Adrien had stopped, his body rigid and his face in contortions. The older boy opened the window to their room to listen. A smile already on his face.

"I don't want to go." The child had said softly, and Kai's face fell. Instantly there was a look of concern on the man's features.

"Are you alright? Do you feel sick?" He reached out to feel for a fever, and suddenly the child was crying bitterly.

"You're not my dad." Kai drew his hand back, a frown on his face. The boy looked up and glared at his foster father. "You're not my dad and you'll never be my dad. You can't just introduce me to people as your son. I'm not! I don't want anything to do with you." Kai actually flinched at that, and Kiril watched as the man glanced towards the left where Tala and Bryan were standing – watching the scene in silence.

"I won't introduce you as my son if you don't want me to." Kai told him softly, though Kiril didn't think the hurt was in deep enough. The dagger hadn't stabbed hard enough just yet.

"No! You don't get it! I've given this a try, for three years I gave this a try. It didn't work, and I don't like it. You're not my father, and I don't want to be anywhere near you!"

"Adrien-" The boy reached up and pulled off a necklace that Kai had given him when the adoption papers had been signed. Kiril had never known what was written on it, but he knew that it was important to the boy. He actually was shocked when the boy threw it on the ground. The charm on it snapped off from the shock and bounced into the grass, but he simply glared at the man in spite. "That's what you can do with the damn adoption papers for all I care." The broken clasp and ruined charm were like laughing beacons that just fueled a rage inside Kai like never before seen. Kiril really hadn't expected it to go this far, especially because he thought Adrien would leave him alone instead of leaving Kai since the boy had always craved a father figure in his life.

Kai reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, and in silence he thumbed aside a few notes before pulling out a folded piece of paper. Tala called out his name, telling him to stop what he was doing, but Kai was on a mission. He unfolded it and showed it to the boy. The certificate of adoption was right there. Before them.

"You want me to throw this away?" Kai asked seriously, and for a moment Adrien was speechless. Kiril smirked. He was right after all. The boy wouldn't be able to say that.

"Tear it up for all I care." Brown eyes widened drastically, he felt his breath leave him and his heart pound heavily in his chest as he watched his friend say those hateful words towards the man before him. Kai nodded once, and his fingers moved without stopping to the center of the certificate.

"Kai no!" Tala shouted as he struggled to get forward quick enough, but with crutches it was impossible. Bryan snapped out to stop him – he was a bit faster. But not fast enough. The paper ripped clean in two, and everyone was staring motionlessly as they watched the paper tear. Adrien in particular was petrified into a stony stance. He wasn't even moving an inch. He just watched on in shock as Kai placed the two pieces on top of each other, and then ripped them in half again. He repeated the process again and again before just throwing them straight at the boy, the paper falling around him like snow.

"Get back in side. It's passed curfew." Kai snapped, his voice like ice. It was the tone he used on all students, but never on Adrien. Never on Kiril. The heir turned and went back into the limo, slamming the door closed. He told the driver to leave, and leave he did. Adrien was staring after the car, his eyes wide and his heart all but stopped in his chest.

Bryan clenched his fists in anger and Kiril watched as the man slapped the boy _hard _across the face. The nine year old went flying and Tala just managed to get between him and the falcon before another strike fell. He too was bristling with anger, but taking it out on the boy wasn't going to help anything.

Adrien just stood up apologized softly, and walked back inside. He looked like someone had kicked in him the groin. He was defeated and weak. He opened the door to his room slowly and Kiril could only smile at him and open his arms. Tears were falling down the boy's face, and Kiril was there to dry them. He held the shivering nine year old to his chest, a smile on his proud face. No one was taking Adrien away from him.

Adrien was his to decide what to do with. His to decide how to move around on the chess board, and happily – he managed to leave a trenching scar on Kai's heart as payback for daring to leave him in Italy for so long with nothing but false promises to go by.

_It had to be the drugs. This wasn't right. This wasn't right!_ _This isn't how it happened. He remembered. He remembered watching Adrien get ready for the gala. "Kai's going to take me to a gala at HE, he said he's going to introduce me as his son there." He remembered watching Adrien stand up and leave. He remembered Adrien whispering goodbye. He remembered looking out the window and wondering why he couldn't go too. Then he remembered staring in horror as Kai cruelly abandoned the brunette too. Just like he always did, Kai snapped at Adrien for _no reason_ and tore up the adoption papers. That was how it happened. Everything else was fake. Everything else wasn't real. He knew it too! He _knew! _He tried to get away from his reminising but his mind kept going, as though deciding that it was time to let out all the secrets and horrors that it had held back. As though it were mocking him. _

It wasn't long after that that Kiril wanted to see just how far he _could _push Adrien.

There was a well in the back of campus, and for a boy who would do about anything for attention and who had the ability to make someone do anything he wanted him to do, it was the perfect place to test that loyalty that Adrien so freely gave.

"Come on, follow me." Kiril had started, shoving Adrien out of his bed at four o'clock in the morning. The brunette landed on the ground with a thud, blinking up in confusion at his roommate who was fully dressed and looking completely and totally ready to face the elements.

"Where?" The boy asked in return, not quite sure what it was he was supposed to be doing. The dorm rules were simple: no one was allowed out of their rooms (except for bathroom purposes) until dawn. In all honest it was set in place because of the animals that could be roaming the campus at night. No one was allowed out because their campus was literally in the woods and at any time a wolf, coyote, or anything like that would love to take one of them home for a snack.

Tala himself had been there to stop one attack that had occurred on one of the youngest children on the campus. He'd wandered out of the dorm and it had been Wolborg who had alerted the fierce blader to the scene.

Nothing was as magical as seeing that sight. The sight of the fearless leader of the F-Fives standing before a pack of wolves with no fear in his eyes. He stood before the child and he stared each wolf down. They growled at him, but he did nothing. He just stared at them and then slowly but surely they'd slinked away into the dark.

After that the dorms were closed until dawn. No one was allowed out because no one could know when something like that would happen again. Tala's duly dubbed (by Bryan of course) "Wolf Whisperer" moments were few and far between and it wasn't good to test the limits of his control over the creatures.

While there was always some semblance of control for beybladers and their bitbeasts' true selves; Bryan could summon falcons to his arm to deliver messages if he wanted to, Spencer could get a whale to appear in the ocean without fail, Ian could control snakes to an extent, and clearly Tala's ability with making the wolves leave. It wasn't a wise idea to test out the limits of those abilities. One didn't want to go into a den of wolves and expect them to just listen.

In all honesty, even while he exuded his confidence in that moment, Tala's hand was on his blade. He was ready to use _it _to make the wolves leave if he had too. Luckily it wasn't the case, and the rules had been set.

Adrien was constantly in a position of who to listen to though. He followed Kiril without fail on everything he did. Rather guiltily though when it came to defying Tala and his law. He actually never defied Tala on anything unless it was Kiril telling him to do so. Then, when he'd get called to the redhead's office, he'd have been ordered not to say anything, and so he'd take the blame for their exploits and move on.

The child wasn't a masochist by nature, and he certainly knew that what Kiril as telling him to do at times was wrong, but he couldn't help himself it seemed. It was a compulsory action that forced him to do what he did. He had to obey, and that was that.

"Outside." Kiril told him, just as he knew he would. Adrien blinked, trying to clear the sleep from his eyes.

"We're not allowed." He told the older boy, frowning slightly. He expected the slap, and was gratified for the expectation. It still stung though and he rubbed his cheek as he looked up at his companion.

"Don't tell me what to do Adrien."

"Oh...I wouldn't presume...I'm sorry..." The boy frowned as he looked up at his friend. He was still half asleep and his wake up call hadn't exactly been kind.

"Come on, let's go." The boy nodded and pushed himself to his feet. He reached out to grab his shoes but once more Kiril told him to leave it and to follow him.

Again, Adrien knew perfectly well enough that listening to the older boy when it came to things like this wasn't exactly a good idea. Just like he knew that he was simply fueling the boy's thoughts of importance. He wasn't doing anything to help Kiril, and in fact was probably hindering his ability to coexist with people without his annoying arrogance that was starting to accumulate.

Still, Adrien had been raised to listen to Kiril, and he was going to do just that. Sighing slightly, he pushed himself to his feet and started to walk towards the door, his bronze haired companion leading the way. He pushed all thoughts of what could be lurking outside out of his head and he concentrated only on keeping his friend safe.

It was easy enough to leave the dorm. There was a bit of an honor system in place and so no one challenged Tala's rules and edicts because they knew that what he mandated was always exceptionally fair. He wasn't overbearing with the rules he'd laid out, and the dawn dorm rule was something that had a good reason associated to it. He didn't want anyone to get mauled to death by an animal.

"Where are we going?" He asked again, stepping lightly as his feet touched the gravel and pavement. He didn't think this was a good deal at all. No one was around...what if something happened?

"To the well." Kiril replied, shaking his head.

The well was on the complete opposite end of campus, and it was hardly ever used for anything more then a wishing well. Voltaire had made sure that there was a more then adequete water supply running through the campus that didn't rely on shoddy wells that probably were going to get filled with mud and diseases thank you very much.

It was Anna's idea though. She'd thought it had been fitting. ("_Fortune _Five Hundreds." She'd said. "Fortune! Like good luck! A wishing well is the best thing for that!" And Tala had agreed because he'd do anything she'd asked.)

They walked slowly, or perhaps it was quickly. At the time Kiril remembered going as slow as he dared and yet that still seemed to be faster then a normal walk. When they'd gotten to the well, there was no light above them except for the moon that was shining down heartlessly upon them. Adrien was chewing his lip fearfully as he looked about. He wanted to go back now. His feet were starting to hurt _badly _but he didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything. It wasn't his place.

"Are you going to make a wish?" He asked as he looked at the well. Kiril's face got an eerie quality suddenly.

"Yes." He replied as he stared at Adrien long and hard. The boy nodded and started to look about for a pebble. He didn't have any coins with him...he hadn't grabbed _anything _from the room. He wish he'd known. He would have given the boy money to do so. He found the stash of pebbles someone had made for the 'well wishers' and he handed one to his friend. The older boy didn't take it though. He just looked at Adrien still, and suddenly the brunette's anxious feeling was coming back full force. "Not with that." Kiril said slowly, and those dark words made the boy freeze slightly.

"With what?" He whispered, already knowing where this was going. He wasn't stupid.

"They say a wish only gets granted if what you loose, means something to you." Kiril said slowly, looking at Adrien meaningfully. The brunette shifted awkwardly, the chill of the night cutting through his pajamas all the more obviously now.

_Don't show me this. He didn't want to see this memory anymore. He didn't want Kai to be right. _

"And what do you want to loose to fulfill your...wish?" He asked softly even as he walked towards the well.

A light turned on not to far away, at the dorm the oldest of the F-Fives lived in. He glanced at it briefly before looking back at the well. It was now or never, if Kiril was going to tell him to do what he suspected he'd have to do it soon or someone would see...Kiril's wish wouldn't get granted if someone saw right? He rubbed his arms as he looked at his friend who oddly enough seemed to be having a hard time vocalizing whatever it was he was going to tell him.

"Jump." The boy finally managed, pointing into the well and Adrien closed his eyes and nodded his head. This time, he didn't need to ask how high.


	6. Anna's Security System

**Windstar: **I have to say, last chapter's reviews made me giddy. I'm very pleased that you all either like or can tolerate Adrien and Kiril, and I can hardly believe Adrien's getting a bit of a fan base. Talk about surprising! I was terrified you all would be annoyed by them and so that you've gotten a liking to them makes me very happy. Unfortunately for you, this chapter isn't going to talk about them much if at all until the end. We've switched gears for a moment and now we're getting to the plot of this story.

I first wrote this chapter in July of last year, and would you believe the amount of time and effort I put into making sure that this was as computer literate as possible. I wanted it to make sense and so here it is!

I have mostly finished up this story. The only thing now is that I feel like writing another arc. Because of that it's going to be a bit longer then originally planned, but with this new ending everything should wrap up nicely. I could always hold it off for another story, but I think that it'll be better placed in this one. As for my idea on whether or not to continue this, I'll see how I feel. Break is coming up and I'll have a month to write and plan things out. If I get a nice head start then I'll jump on it, if not then I'll leave it as is. This story should be finished by new years, but if not it's just because I haven't finished updating it by then. (Considering there's over twenty more chapters to go I have a feeling I'm going to be posting this well into March).

I hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!

**Chapter Five: **

Tyson was honestly pleased when he saw the silver mustang pull into the parking lot of the BBA headquarters. It made him laugh actually. Kai's taste in cars was expensive...as was most everything when it came to the heir of the multi billion dollar corporation. The silver mustang was so easily recognizable that even if he had been blind, he still would have picked it out from a crowd. The hum of that engine was so easily heard and who could miss those rims?

It was a sinfully beautiful car. One that Tyson drooled over the first time he'd seen it. After the third or forth time he managed to stop the action, but still. It was far too much for him to handle. Thankfully Kai had let him go for a ride once. It was better then he'd thought it would be, and that said a lot considering he was having a car-gasm everytime he saw it. He'd thought it would be amazing...it was _far _better then that.

He couldn't decide which he liked better though. The silver mustang, the blue maserati, or the red corvette. All three were gorgeous vehicles...then of course there was the green porche. Again...Kai's taste in cars were inexplicably expensive. Then again, he had the money to waste.

When he'd been a member of the Blade Breakers and had first met the quiet teen, he hadn't paid much attention to his friend's wealth. It should have meant more to him, but it didn't. He'd never asked how much their food and hotel bills were, and Kai never told him. It was simply an unspoken amount. It was a bit stupid, but Tyson hadn't even known that Kai had paid for any of it. He had ignored it completely and thought that it'd been taken care of.

Guiltily, Tyson would admit that he'd just figured Mr. Dickenson had forwarded them the money. It was what Kai had wanted them to think, and so no notice had been drawn to his extraordinary deep pockets. He'd managed to keep everyone in the dark for the entire time they'd been together on just how much money he'd had. Even when they'd heard about Hiwatari Enterprises and his Grandfather's business deals they hadn't guessed how much money he'd had. In truth, the number billion didn't really register to them. They'd just assumed that it was all his Grandfather's money and that none of it was his so it didn't matter anyway. Then again, they'd also thought for a while that Voltaire was an evil bastard trying to take over the world...they'd thought a lot of wrong things in truth.

Perhaps if Tyson _had _paid more attention when they were on the same team, he would have noticed the awestruck look the waiters had always had when Kai'd produced his card. Then again, he'd hardly paid any attention to that. Whenever it came time to pay he'd make himself scarce. Perhaps he would have noticed if he'd tried to watch more, the way the manager was always coming by to see if everything to their liking. He'd assumed it was just polite curtesy and he'd never been to such places before so he'd never put much thought into it....

Perhaps he might have seen the ridiculous tips of over a hundred dollars Kai would leave behind. He'd caught the fire blader doing it once, years later when they were meeting to discuss BBA plans. The tip was worth three times the actual meal (a feat considering Tyson's eating habits), and Kai blushed then and explained simply that most waiters needed the money far more then he needed it. He'd pressed further and found that Kai actually had a bit of a philanthropic outlook on life. He was nearly made of money and so giving a few hundred dollars to people who desperately needed it and were working at a restaurant of all places was hardly something he cared much about.

The only one who really had somewhat known, back then at least, that Kai was extremely well off, was Rei. That of course stemmed down to the fact that he'd been their waiter once. Unfortunately he hadn't earned a three hundred dollar tip for his service, although if Kai had been there when the receipt had been signed, who knew? Kai had left that particular bill to Mr. Dickenson to take care of with his card. He'd given the card to the man earlier and when he'd stormed off he'd intended for the man to use it to pay for the meal. He did, and Rei as their server had noticed the card was to the name "S. K Hiwatari" and not too long afterward he had asked the man if it was any relation to their captain.

Mr. Dickenson didn't exactly answer, in fact, he kind of changed the subject and ran off as fast as he could. So Rei had gone to Kai to figure out the answer to his question. The card Rei had used was the ordinary card though. If it had been the duly dubbed _special _card, he probably would have had a heart attack like all the other servers had had upon seeing it.

The normal card was simply that, a normal credit card with a normal balance and a normal name on it. The _special _card, was a bit different. That card was the limitless card. The black card that was considered the most elite of all cards in the world. The American Express Centurion card. It was how he paid for all their air tickets and all their hotels. Even if he had money, he enjoyed the benefits of the card.

Rei had gone to ask him about the _normal _card though. He never did find out about the Centurion until much, much later. Kai had paid for their meal, and it touched Rei even though he did feel slightly guilty about using the card when he knew that Mr. Dickenson wasn't the owner. He wanted to make sure Kai was alright with it. Still, when he'd finally had time to ask, it came out all wrong.

"That card that you used to pay for dinner, why was there an 'S' in front of the 'K,' is Kai your middle name?" Kai frowned up at him, not entirely happy with the question. When he didn't respond right away, Rei continued to the real point of curiosity. "How can you have a credit card when it's illegal?" He'd blurted out, blushing terribly the whole while. Kai had blinked at the question and shrugged it off just as easily. He was of course referring to Kai's age. He was at least two years underage for a credit card and it didn't seem right that he just whipped it out without any care in the world. At least that was easier to explain then his name.

"It's not." He replied without much thought, continuing what he was doing in the first place. What had it been? Oh right...tying his shoes...damn laces had caused this conversation and he was suddenly annoyed at lace kind because of it.

"What do you mean?" Rei had asked, honestly curious.

Rei had spent far to much of his childhood in the mountains. While he'd learned things that some people would never have a chance to learn, he was severely undereducated when it came to some forms of technology. Texting had been another phenomenon he'd also questioned Kai about. Oddly enough, Kai had become his go to person with all his technology problems, despite how Kenny was the resident expert on...well...everything.

"The country the card's based out of isn't opposed to me having it." The slightly younger teen replied vaguely. Rei couldn't believe that though, it was too crazy. He'd never heard of a country letting someone underage get a card. It was against the law right? Unless the age was lower there....

"What country is that?" He asked, dumbfounded by this new information.

"Why? You want on too? You don't qualify." Rei recoiled. He hadn't meant his inquiry to come out like that, and now that it had he was taken aback by how exactly Kai had shoved it back in his face. What did it mean that he didn't qualify? Well...he wasn't a citizen. Obviously. Wherever Kai had gotten the card from, it certainly wasn't China. Rei sighed and had nodded, not pressing the issue any farther.

Of course after that world championships Kai'd been completely outed. Especially when it became clear that he was in charge of all the finances at the F-Five campus. He'd blushed a little when they had asked him how much he made, and he honestly had said: he could give one million dollars to each F-Five every year for the rest of their lives and that would still be less then how much he would make in a year. He'd still be making a profit, that was how much his gross income was.

The Blade Breakers had stared at him slack jawed. They couldn't believe what they'd heard. That was five hundred million dollars that was out the window and still Kai would have more money at the end of the year. That someone's annual income was so high was completely and totally sinful. It was inappropriately excessive.

After that though, Kai seemed to be a lot more open with his expenditures. He would show up at Tyson's house with designer clothes that were worth more than a small fortune. He'd buy things in front of them that would make their bank accounts scream. It seemed that now that everyone knew how much he made he didn't have to concentrate so hard on keeping his money a secret.

So he didn't. He splurged randomly, and he made them feel completely awestruck at times. They had a hard time believing that the snooty teen that had actually lived in a warehouse for _months _while running intel on Tyson in Japan really was extremely shallow with some of the things he liked. He had money, so he bought the most expensive things in the world just to have them. Tyson highly doubted, for instance, that Kai actually needed to renovate an entire apartment building just because the kitchen wasn't big enough. He'd bought every one of the tenants apartments elsewhere and paid for the trouble as he remodeled the whole building just to suit one room in his home.

A home that he only used once a year when he was having a business meeting in India!

Kai didn't really rub it in their faces though, and in all honesty he didn't seem to think much about the price of things at all because he _knew _he could afford it. He didn't even bother looking at the price tags on what it was he was buying. It wasn't that he was being a snob on purpose, in fact whenever they called him out on it he honestly seemed to be confused as to what they were talking about. To him, a thousand dollars was pocket change.

It took some time, and a lot of effort, but the Blade Breakers became used to his unhealthy amount of money and became oddly amused by it. They took bets behind his back on what big item he would buy next and what useless item would find itself in his home.

For instance, Kai's odd taste in cars. He like old classics and he like sports cars. It was the stereotypical rich boy mentality when it came to cars. He had the money, so he went for the obvious choices. Still, that didn't stop him from buying an entire arsenal of SUVs and minivans _for some reason_ that were now just sitting in a garage collecting dust which he would hire someone to clean the unused vehicles spotlessly for. Why he bought them in the first place, was questionable considering he _never _used them. Yet he had scores of cars in every continent.

He was a fairly good driver when he wanted to be, but in most cases he was an animal on the road and completely reckless. He sped far too fast, he drifted around turns, and he didn't think anything of damages to his vehicle. He was, in that sense, a complete idiot and extremely stupid.

It was a different mentality with passengers though. If there was someone in the car with him, he didn't even toe the line. He stayed within all speed limits, he made sure belts were worn, and he was never even slightly risky. He was the perfect gentlemen in every way shape and form.

Tyson would never understand it. It was like the young man had no regard at all for his own safety, and held others much higher up in retrospect to his own life. It was a terribly annoying quality that Kai didn't even seem to realize he himself possessed. Like his money issues, he was terribly blind to such things. He truly just didn't see what they were talking about at all. It was something that infuriated the Japanese boy to no end on occasion.

Still, he was grateful for small miracles. After Tala's accident on the way to the hospital, Kai hadn't been driving as recklessly as much. He was rather careful now. After all if Tala could get into a crash when he was driving safe, what could happen to him if he wasn't driving safe?

The silver mustang that had pulled up was one of many in Kai's fleet. It was mail ordered to Japan where he kept at least twelve cars just in case.

("In case of what?" Tyson had asked once at the sheer stupidity of having twelve cars.

"In case one breaks down." He'd replied, seeming truly perplexed as to what the problem was. "I'd need another."

"There's twelve! Not _two!_"

"What if I have friends over? Kai had asked easily. "And they all wanted to drive?"

"Where would you go with _twelve _cars?" He didn't even bring up the fact that Kai probably didn't _have_ twelve friends that he'd let drive one of his _babies_. That was a bit cruel.

"Eleven, one broke down already remember?" After the world championships Kai had gotten so much better at indulging his inner comedian and had allowed himself to banter freely with the Blade Breakers. Particularly Tyson who was the more humorous of them all. They had quite a few moments like this. All of them entertaining.

"Fine, eleven." Tyson had conceded.

"Sometimes it's just nice to drive." He said calmly. "Road trips are fun."

"Driving by yourself with _eleven _cars is fun?" Tyson had asked incredulously.

"Well, what if another breaks down? You have extras now."

"Kai, you keep such good care of your cars that _none _of them would break down like that." As reckless of a driver as Kai was, he did keep his vehicles in perfect condition. It was insane to think he'd ram it into a telephone pole and clip of a mirror one moment and then give it a sponge bath the next.

"Well they're for missions too." Kai admitted self consciously.

"I thought you retired..."

"I did, but I'm still a member of the F-Fives Officer squadron. I oversee all F-Five missions that are within certain parameters, and then I have my Corps which I train-"

"Alright, I get it. You find uses for your twelve cars." Tyson scowled. He was not impressed with the blatant show of money. Kai was an idiot on that one as far as he was concerned. He hadn't even gotten to the fact that those twelve cars were only his Japan set....he had over a hundred more elsewhere.

"You should see how many bikes I have." Kai had teased lightly, and Tyson had swatted him, rolling his eyes a the sheer stupidity. That didn't stop Tyson from asking for a bike for his birthday and Kai from giving him one.)

The silver mustang was special though. It was the Officer only car. The only people who were even allowed to drive it were F-Five Officers. Tyson knew it wasn't Kai doing so, after all, Kai was already there. That only left Tala who had been called to Japan to restructure the security codes of the BBASS.

He watched the redhead exit the car with his usual balance and poise. Almost instantly their eyes met and Tyson stifled a laugh. Tala always could tell if someone was watching him or not. He would always know...that was how he was raised.

He nodded up at him, and Tyson waved. At that moment he found himself truly pleased to see how well the older man was doing. After that plane crash three years ago, Tala had been working constantly to be able to just walk freely again.

He'd managed it after a year or so, and no one could believe just how fast he'd recovered. Kai had mentioned something about a special healing method he'd used when the plane had first fallen, and how continuing that method had helped him out dramatically.

Tala now walked just as well as he used to, if not better. He even seemed slightly taller. Tyson didn't care how it had happened though, he was just glad that it had. Seeing Tala stumbling and walking with a cane was a sight that he hadn't embraced. It seemed so wrong to have him walking with such hitches in his step. Tala was such a physically active person that it truly was a depressing sight to behold.

He watched as the redhead walked up the stairs and into the building alone. Sadness pierced the man's heart at the sight. Before he'd watch Tala and Anna laugh and joke as they entered the building. The two were a charming couple, and watching them together was like seeing what a relationship really should be like.

Watching him come in alone was just more of a reminder as to what exactly they'd lost when Anna had left. Tyson sighed and pushed such thoughts out of his head. He walked down the stairs of the building and got to the ground floor just in time to see Tala and Kai finish their greetings.

They were talking happily enough, and Tyson felt his heart lift at the sight. Tala was looking more at ease now. He didn't seem to be so torn to shreds. It was a very welcomed change.

"Hey Red!" He called, waving once more as he walked over. Again, Tala nodded politely and asked how he was doing. "Good good, thanks for coming on such short notice, I really appreciate it, man." He said as he held out his hand. The other took it and shook it slightly before drawing back ever so slightly.

"Not a problem. So there was a hack into the secure files?" He asked, getting right to business.

"Yeah, but lets discuss it in my office." Tyson nodded motioning back the way he'd come.

"See you later Kai." Tala said as he waved towards his brother who nodded and walked out the doors.

"Where's he going?" Tyson asked, frowning.

"Back to the apartment for lunch. He's got another meeting in a few hours." Tala shrugged simply. Tyson's mouth watered. The infamous penthouse apartment was so fucking gorgeous that he was _so _close to asking his friend if he could have it while Kai was away. Then again, he knew he had responsibilities at the dojo that his grandfather had left him. Still...it was a sweet place. It even had maids!

Tala followed Tyson silently up the stairs until he got to the younger man's office. It didn't take all that long, and it was even pleasant as Tyson started telling him about what was happening in Japan since the last time he'd been there. Of course he'd heard most of it already from Kai, but he didn't complain and it was even kind of nice. He let the man ramble on for a while, and when they got into his office the man's face turned serious and he flicked the button of something on the wall and the soft hum of a machine filled the room. Tala raised an eyebrow.

"Silencer?" He questioned, referring to the machine that was humming just loud enough that anyone trying to listen to their conversation wouldn't be able to hear a thing. It was a clever device, he'd seen them a few places and it was good when you didn't already have sound proof rooms.

"Yeah, well, this isn't something I want anyone to hear." He admitted, shrugging slightly. He moved and sat around his desk and Tala plopped into a seat across from him.

"So what happened?" He asked easily as he looked at his boss. It was strange to think of Tyson as his boss, but he was. As the Director of the BBA, he controlled all units that worked for him. He was now 'Mr. Dickenson' in a sense. Since Tala was a commander of the BBASS, Tyson was his boss and he even gave him his pay checks. Most of their dealings were done over the phone and Tala didn't fly out to Japan all that much, but now that he was there he gave Tyson the respect he would give any other leader of a group.

"About two days ago I got an alert on my computer saying our secure access files were breached. When I logged on I saw our firewall was keeping them out from the more delicate files, but all of the ones that were of lesser importance were seen. Normally I wouldn't care about a hack like this, but the files in question that were viewed aren't supposed to be seen by anyone except for myself and well...you all."

Tala's eyes narrowed slightly. He'd always been impressed by how Tyson had grown up over the years. He really took his job seriously, and he pushed himself to find the answers to everything that he could. He had no problem asking for help and he was truly the perfect person to be running such an operation because of his love for the sport. Tala however knew now wasn't the time to goggle over Tyson's behavior.

"The Fortune Five Hundred files and the Campus database?" He asked slowly, loking at the man with a stern look. Tyson nodded, feeling slightly guilty.

"That, as well as blader profiles from the Abbey that were accumulated in the past. As the BBA we only have information of the eligible bladers that you've allowed to register." It was a comment on the screening process that Tala had put all the F-Fives through that wanted to enter the sport as professionals.

"That's still nearly one fifth of the entire school..." Tala sighed, shaking his head.

"Also, whoever it was was looking into the Maims in particular. Their captain..."

"They wanted to know about Mikhail?" That was a curve ball. He hadn't thought about his deceased foster brother in years, in fact, he couldn't think of who would want to even look him up. Everything the BBA knew about Mikhail could easily be found online. There was no need to hack into the BBA's files on him. And who would want to? There was nothing really special about Mikhail's sad life or his tragic end. Tyson was nodding.

"I don't know what they were looking for, but the other Maims were ignored and only Mikhail's file was viewed. Aside from him the blader files were accessed as well. I can't figure out what they were trying to find, but it has something to do with your kids that's all I know." Tyson met Tala's gaze and he bit his lip.

"Where was the hacker located?"

"I don't know." Tyson answered, guilty that he didn't know how to bend his security system to tell him such thing. Tala just waved it off.

"No problem. It's going to take me a while but I'll load up a few programs and the like onto the system. I don't particularly like the fact that someone can just walk in and look at that information..."

"That's the thing..." He hesitated before saying that horrible name that only caused heartache. "Anna set it up herself. I didn't think there would be any problems." Tala froze. His world crashed down around him as he listened to the man. He's mouth dropped and his eyes grew wide. Tyson bit his lip, expecting the reaction.

"Anna set up the system?" He repeated, and Tyson was surprised at how quickly he'd responded considering the shock.

"Yes...why?"

"When. When did she set it up?" He continued. The last time they'd been there together had been for an SS meeting. It had nothing to do with computer security.

"Umm...about a week into August three years ago." It was a polite way of saying three weeks before Anna had vanished off the face of the Earth.

"Three weeks..." Tala's face seemed deeply troubled by the information, and Tyson frowned as he stared at him.

"What's wrong?" He asked. This wasn't the depression that he'd been expecting, nor the sadness he'd been prepared for. This was blatant curiosity that was still getting to him somehow. He wasn't thinking about the fact she'd left and what had happened, this was something else entirely.

"She set it up, and it was broken in to." He explained slowly, looking at Tyson pointedly.

"Yeah?" He still didn't understand what the older man was getting at.

"The only people who break into Anna's security systems are herself, Kai, or me." Tala's voice was calm. "Sacha and I because we've both watched her as she's worked and we have mastered the Black Dranzer Server. Anna because she obviously made it." He was looking at Tyson pointedly, hoping he'd get the point sooner rather then later.

"So what are you saying? That Kai's the one who broke in? Why would he need to? He has the passwords same as you. Not to mention that he helps run the school and knew Mikhail. There was no need for him to hack in." The red locks shook as he looked up at him. Tyson may have matured, but he still didn't get the point nearly as fast as Tala would have liked.

"I'm saying, that _Anna _had a hand in breaking into the security system." Tyson blinked, paused, then blinked again. He tried to process that information, but it still didn't make sense to him. Why would someone break into their own system through a hack? She too would have known the passwords. She too would have been able to break in without a problem.

"I don't get it." Tala shook his head once more.

"I'll show you. Let me use your computer." He motioned, and Tyson allowed it. He scooted back and Tala moved forwards, around his desk, and leaned over the device. Quickly he turned it on and when the password screen popped up he bypassed it without even thinking.

"How'd you know my password?" Tyson asked in awe.

"Tyson, one day you're going to learn that Dragoon111111 is not an acceptable password for an organization such as this." Tala muttered quietly. Tyson just stared at him in awe. He didn't know that.

It took a few moments but soon the server was giving a complete report and feedback of everything that was occurring in the security system. It gave a blow by blow of everything. Still, he wasn't satisfied and he continued to type faster and with more concentration as he pulled up screen after screen and started to download programs left and right that would help him with his quest. After a few moments, he was gratified to see the security system pull up in front of him as impossible codes of binary.

"Alright, do you sees all the zeros and ones?" He asked and Tyson nodded. Anyone could see it. "Binary code represents a language that you need to master if you're going to understand anything about a computer functions."

"Binary code?" Tyson whispered, staring at the numbers in confusion. Tala nodded and pointed to one set.

"This string represents your password control system. It's set to answer to a universal password and PIN number set." He explained briefly.

"How can you read that?" Tyson asked in awe. Tala just cracked a grin.

"Eventually you can recognize the combinations of zeros and ones to see words. Trust me when I say you'll get a headache when you first try. Anyway...any good system will have an underlay of unicode that is controlling the language feed and the control of anything you need to do. There are sixteen planes that unicode runs on, and those planes are then broken up into six groups with ten numbers left unassigned, and those planes are the ones that run your database." It was clear he'd lost Tyson completely, but he kept going. "Basically even though there are sixteen possible planes that unicode can use, only six actually are used." Tyson nodded, back on track once more. "These planes are called the following: the basic multilingual plane, the supplementary multilingual plane, the supplementary ideographic plane, the supplementary special purpose plane, the private use area, and one other private use area."

"But aren't there sixteen?"

"Yes, but as I said, only six are used." He waited for Tyson to understand, but it didn't look like he did. "There are then so called planes that are unassigned any purposes. You don't need them in a basic system. They can be assigned jobs, in fact, the third phase is sometimes used for writing Chinese characters. That's slightly besides the point though. Unicode is used to create words so we can read them. Do you follow what I'm saying?"

"It makes words out of numbers?" Tala nodded. Dense as the man could be at times, he was catching on quick.

"Yes, in essence, it's what your computer translates into letters and words so we understand them." Tala sighed, this is where things were going to get complicated, but to understand what Anna had done, what she always did because it made her feel so much better about herself at the end of the day, he needed to give the history lesson. Anna was a genius with computers, and she had spared no expense on this. It was a playground she enjoyed creating and he needed to get Tyson to understand the complexity of what it meant when someone broke into her system. "But Anna didn't use unicode in this system." He said slowly, making sure the other understood what he was getting at.

"I don't understand..."

"The rest of your computer apparently uses unicode, that's what I was checking earlier. This program, or rather the entire security system in general, is _not _written in unicode."

"Umm...why not?"

"It's harder to read." Tala surmised softly, looking at the computer he pointed to the set he had earlier. "Instead of a direct system that was translated easily into unicode which most people are trained in now a days to read and understand, she instead put it in an extremely old and outdated version of translation. To us, as readers when we're not looking at the codes that make it up, there's no difference. To a hacker, it means everything. That hacker needs to be able to understand Morse code-"

"Isn't that that SOS thing?" Tyson asked, and Tala nodded.

"Yes, it's used in computers too though, the same numbers are used to represent the letters they do when you're sending a message. Since that in of itself is coded by her though, having it in a computer is a bitch to get passed if you can't read it."

"Can _you _read it?"

"Yes, so can Kai. Bryan and Spencer can use Morse code but they can't read it when it's translated into it's Anna's binary form. They don't play with computers nearly as much as Kai and I do." He sighed and went on. "She's created her own code, a code that isn't used in any other part of the world except for her own systems and computer work. She does it because she can really, it has nothing to do with ease. It's just because she's a bloody idiot sometimes and she does thing the hard way just to dick with people." Tyson stared up at him in awe. For the first time in three years Tala was having a conversation about her without flinching and getting depressed. Miracles do happen. "Her own code is a specific series of numbers and letters that do the same thing, essentially, as unicode and morse code and any other type of code you can think of that focuses only on characters and words. The difference, is because it's her own code, when someone tries to hack into her system and bypass the passwords to get straight at the information, even if they do so they won't be able to understand it."

Tala scrolled down on the computer and pointed to a set of odd characters that weren't quite zeroes and ones. He looked at Tyson, and Tyson stared at them, taking them in. Tala was right, it looked nothing like what it had before. It was completely different.

"How can the computer understand it though? Isn't it programmed to only read unicode – or whatever it's called." Tala nodded and started to pull up another screen.

"This is how, it's a translation program that she installed into your system. It takes her code and it gives meaning to it in unicode so all the words, letters, and numbers, easily become understood by the computer itself." Tala sighed. "It is this program the hacker would go to next, and it's this program that is really the security block that she had in place. Once the hacker realized that everything was encoded, once the hacker understood he or she wouldn't be able to get any farther because they wouldn't understand the codes that made up the rest of the system, they would try to find this program in order to translate their data." Tyson nodded, it made sense. "This program however is protected by the joys of stereotypes."

He closed down a few screens and pulled something up, it was a game called _Margo's Revenge_. If someone played it, they would find themselves playing a pacman like story line where gophers randomly appeared and started to attack you. Tyson had played it a few times, and now that he thought about it, Anna had told him to never delete that file. He hadn't because the game was so entertaining and when he wanted to not do any work it was the perfect excuse to look busy.

"This game is your firewall system." He said as he watched Tyson's face. The man reeled backwards in horror. "It's one of the best ones out there because there's nearly no defense on it. Her code is enshrouded in another translating code, a translating code that takes her code and instead of making characters and letters, it makes this game. _Her _code, contains two purposes, one for the words and characters used for the security system, and one for this game which protects it completely."

"How?"

"When a hacker looks into a file they can't read, they will be searching for the firewall that will be placed around the translator. They'll be aiming at that firewall, and things like this game will be ignored. The best defense is no defense in this case." He shook his head slightly.

"I didn't realize it was so complicated..." Tyson whispered as he stared at the multiple screens that had been pulled up.

"Yeah well, that's why I'm here right?" Tala teased and looked back at the computer. He sighed. "That's not what happened in this case though." Tyson looked up in confusion. "The game states here that no one has used it in over a week."

"I used it yesterday!" Tyson claimed looking at the game. Tala shook his head.

"No you played the game, you didn't use the translator. That's what that number represents. When there are breaches to the security, the game tells you so you know. Anna would have been able to tell within seconds if someone had found her translator just by opening this game."

"Can't someone change that number?" Tyson asked, blinking, and Tala sighed.

"If you found a game that had a translator in it for a wall you wanted to get through, knowing that at any moment an international agent could show up at your door to arrest you in case you were flagged on the system, would you waste time changing how many times the game had been played? Would you even know if that number meant the last time someone had actually played the game or had broken in?" Tyson shook his head. Anna was good. She was _very _good.

"So what's it mean? That the game wasn't accessed?" Tala nodded, seeing that the boy was catching up, he continued.

"It wasn't accessed, and only three people in the world know how to read Anna's code; me, Kai, and Anna herself." He looked at Tyson who was nodding. "We've already established that it wasn't Kai or I. Which only leaves Anna. She wouldn't get tied up at the firewall. She would have gotten any data she wanted without running into any of the flags and she would have done it so well you never would have known she was in the system." Tyson bit his lip. He finally understood. "She didn't do it...but she had to have told someone how to read her code. She was helping them to hack in."

Silence filled the room, and Tyson felt his mouth go dry as he thought of everything they'd just talked about. If it was true that that was what happened though...why didn't the firewall get breached? What had gone wrong? If Anna was helping someone get into their system, why had she stopped when it came to the firewall?

"Because she wasn't doing it to get information." He whispered, answering his own question. Tala nodded and pulled up another few bits of binary.

"Your hacker wasn't as good as Anna was, and he wasn't as good as Kai and I. He tripped through the security programs and when he got to the firewall, he got burnt bad. Anna may have been teaching the person how to hack, but she wasn't going to let them into the system to find any data that could be dangerous for them to know. Why she chose the BBA, I haven't the foggiest notion. She would have had to have known we would have come to the same conclusions we did now. She's far to smart for that."

"So what do you mean?"

"I mean, there's a good chance she led them here in order to tell us what she was doing." Tala looked up at Tyson and grinned. "She fed us a bone." Why she'd looked up Mikhail's file was still bothering him though. Maybe she just missed her old friend?

"Why would she do that though? It doesn't make sense." Tyson muttered, confused even more by what he was saying. Tala was grinning like a fool though. He pulled up the firewall once more and pointed to something Tyson couldn't understand.

"She didn't tear down your firewall Tyson, she made it better. Right here, you can see where the hacker tried to enter." He pointed to something that obviously wasn't _right there_. Tyson rolled his eyes but nodded anyway. "It's been overrun by new data though. You actually received at least two hacks that day Tyson. One from her student, the other from her. She didn't trip the system because she created it, and like any good hacker should have done, she manipulated the firewall. Only she didn't manipulate it for the benefit of discovering information. She manipulated it so that it was better then it was before. She's protecting the F-Five database and the profiles on the bladers. She's making it better." Tyson's mouth dropped, but Tala kept at it, completely unaffected. "She may be teaching the kid how to hack, but she's using him as a guinea pig. When he tries to break into this the next time, and do what he did again, he's going to get burnt _bad_. Your firewall's safe Tyson. Your security is flawless. All you need to worry about is if she's going to get a bleeding heart and just let the kid in."

"Would she?" He asked, and Tala hesitated.

"I don't think so, but just in case, I'm going to make my own system to overlay on top of hers."

Tyson nodded and watched with open amazement as Tala started to write numbers and codes and create files on top of things over and over again. He was working at an amazingly fast speed and he was putting together things in such a way that he never would have guessed.

"This program...have you used it before?" He asked when he saw just how quickly the other was working. Tala nodded.

"I made it last year, and have been using it on the F-Five servers. When I'm done setting up I have the disk in my bag and I just have to load it up."

"How does it work?" Tyson asked, and Tala looked at him with a frown. He didn't think Tyson had found his spiel so interesting, but hey – to each his own.

"I'm going to have it so that each person who works for the BBA has a password and those passwords are created by they themselves. They'll be using their BBA ID badges in order to enter the system. The clearance on their badges will open up a section of question and answers that each are blocked with a firewall that will shut off their consoles with the wrong answer. You only have one shot at it. In truth there will be a back up answer to everything they write, one that only I will know in order to bypass quickly if needed. It's not because I don't trust you, but rather that way only one person can have the whole information set in place. Because it's a series of questions, they need to all be known by the person who in fact is using the system. They'll set up their own answers accordingly will be blocked and protected by using Anna's game. I'm using them in her translation game in order to just save time. Why load up your computer with too many games hmm?

"The first set of questions will vary on whoever is using the card, and the second set will be my over arching questions. All the answers that I'll be using will not be easily guessed, and because the answers will seemingly disappear they can't hack into it either. The only way someone's getting into this program now is if someone knew all the answers to the questions. If someone tries to get passed what their card dictates their security clearance is, their computers will shut down immediately." Tyson nodded, understanding drawing on his face. It was a brilliant plan.

Just as he was about to say so, Tala's phone rang and he frowned, answering it.

"I'm in a meeting, what is it?" He asked in Russian. By now, and especially after living there for a few months, Tyson had finally started to pick up on it, and that was good because Tala and Kai spoke it enough when they weren't paying attention and were together. Blue eyes widened. "Kiril?" He asked as he pushed away from the computer. "Is Adrien alright?" He continued after a pause. "Damn kid, I'll be there as soon as I can." He hung up and slid his disk into the computer. "I need to go, sorry about this." He told Tyson swiftly. Once the program was upgraded he closed everything down. "I'll send you the instructions on how to pass everything out and tell the others what they need to do." He was mentioning the other employees, and Tyson nodded.

"Everything alright?" Tala hesitated and looked back, shaking his head.

"No, my idiot little brother made Adrien jump in the well on campus."

"_What?_"

"Bryan saw it happen, I need to go." He said again, and Tyson nodded.

"Have a safe flight, I hope everything works out!" Tala nodded and retrieved his disk and logged out of everything.

"Thanks, see ya."

A few minutes later that gorgeous mustang was speeding out of the parking lot, and as Tyson watched it go, he couldn't help but think one thing...

With as good as Anna's program was, you'd think it would have traced the IP address of the hacker and say where it came from. Yet there hadn't been anything...nothing at all. There were no signs at all of any origin. It was almost as if the hacker appeared out of thin air. Perhaps it was just an over sight, but Tyson felt his innards grow cold as he thought about that. For some reason, that seemed familiar...


	7. Friends, Foes, and Family

**Windstar: **I have to admit, I severely slacked off when it came to updating this. My excuse is simple: my internet literally was taken away from me. I didn't have access to the internet until yesterday, and I couldn't get my mind wrapped around the idea of an update until today. Sorry folks, that's real life for you. Always causing problems!

Considering the fact that only two people reviewed the last chapter though, I doubt that anyone's really paying much attention to these update notices anyway. I know I tend to skip them when I read.

THIS CHAPTER IS THE LAST CHAPTER OF THE FIRST ARC! Yipee! What does that mean? Next chapter's totally going to be a recap/filler moment. Sorry, but if it makes you feel better. Next chapter was supposed to be the first chapter of the whole story, but you all were lucky ducks and got seven chapters of prologue instead - you lucky ducks.

Also, there may be a bit of an OOC moment later on involving one of the characters. I believe I've devolped the situation well enough to make it true to the story, but I just don't know. I encourage you to tell me what you think (you'll know when you get there). It's imperitive that you do, because if you don't I can't fix it for the future.

This chapter also contains the start of the actual plot. We've had enough background information, now we're actually hitting the story. Yey!

Happy Holidays to all, and Merry Christmas on Friday!

PS: if you have not read **Operation Desert Storm**, I strongly suggest you do, it will make the scenes in this chapter and others make A LOT MORE SENSE.

**Chapter Six: **

"On what planet was it acceptable for you to do what you did?" Tala shouted, his eyed glaring down at Kiril who was staring up at him unflinchingly. They were in the boy's dorm room; Bryan, and Spencer both there as well to make sure Tala didn't kill the boy more then anything else. Kriril was staring at him with spite in his eyes, and Tala absolutely hated him for it. "Do you realize he could have _died _if Bryan wasn't there to save him?"

Bryan had gotten up in the middle of the night because his intuition was yelling at him. He just knew something was wrong and so he looked outside and in his horror he saw the two children by the well. He'd flown out of his room and outside just in time to see Kiril tell Adrien to jump and to watch the brunette fall inside.

Kiril had had the gall to look at him without expecting any punishment, and in his anger he'd slapped the boy across the face. Kiril had flown to the ground, tears welling in his eyes as he stared up at him in shock, but Bryan was already leaning over the well screaming down to see if the boy was alive. He prayed he was. All he needed was for the child to have struck his head on something and he'd be dead.

While Kiril watched, the air blader summoned his bit beast and a huge gust of wind shot up from the well, and pushed the shaking child out of it. Bryan grabbed onto him, and held him to his chest. He whispered soft words even as he felt the boy trembling against his body. It had only been fifteen minutes, maybe more, to send the child up to the surface, but it had been enough to get the boy soaked through and to have him be shivering limply in his arms, hypothermia on the way.

He'd taken the boy to his own dorm room, Kiril at his heels, in order to get the boy cleaned up and out of his wet clothes. He hadn't been able to get there in time to stop the boy from catching a cold, but he had been able to clean up the cut that ran down the child's face from bleeding too badly. Now he lay sleeping in Bryan's bed, the signs of pneumonia already starting to show. They'd be taking him to the doctor as soon as things started to look like they wouldn't be able to take care of the illness.

Kai and Tala had both been on the first flight back.

"Shouldn't you be talking to him instead of me?" Kiril asked boredly, he wouldn't even look at Bryan. The fact that the man had struck him had made him rather agitated, and to make it worse he was struck over someone who was supposed to be keeping such things from happening.

Tala's eyes grew sharp, his breathing quickened and he took a threatening step forwards. Spencer straightened from where he'd been leaning against the wall, and he said his friend's name warningly. If Tala went to strike out at Kiril damage could occur, and none of them were about to let such a thing happen. Bryan was slightly excusable because of the situation, but if Tala did it now it would just be digging a grave for himself for later. Tala forced himself to remain still and motionless. He forced himself to take a deep breath and to count to ten.

_One...two....three..._

"What, is Spencer your keeper now, gotta do what he says or you get a slap on the wrist?" _Four...five...what was after five? _"Because maybe I should be getting a scolding from him instead of you since you seem to listen to him so much." _Six... _"And here I thought you were supposed to be my parent." _That's it. _

Spencer would never have had time to stop the punch that went flying out on its own accord straight at Kiril who double over with pain as it landed squarely in his gut. Then again, after Kiril had purposefully gotten the man so worked up in the first place, Spencer honestly hadn't tried very hard. He actually leaned back on the wall and said something about him being an idiot.

Kiril was slightly surprised by the action, he could have sworn that someone would have stopped Tala from doing that. He could have sworn! Still, it didn't seem to matter, looking up he read the guilty look on his brother's face easily enough. He hadn't hit him all that hard, but it was still hard enough to leave a bruise the next day. Dark eyes glowered up into blue. Well, he wanted to draw some blood too.

_That's wrong. That's not right. This didn't seem right. This memory was wrong. He tried to breathe, but there was a choking sensation that wouldn't abate. He gasped for air. Someone was holding him down and keeping him from seizing. He gasped and shook his head. This was wrong!_

"Your worse then _father, _at least he never hit me. At least he could keep mother with him instead of driving her away!" And he shoved passed the completely frozen redhead and out the door. The others had been equally shocked by the needlessly cruel words and had made no move to stop him. Their eyes were on Tala who was so frozen stiff it looked like he'd become a statue.

"Luka?" Bryan whispered quietly, slowly starting to walk towards his friend and brother who was stock still and hardly breathing. The words had dug deep into the man's soul. They had torn him to shreds and then fed him to the birds. Kiril didn't hold back any punches like Tala did. When he wanted to get something done, he did it. He didn't leave room for retaliation. He was as cold and heartless as a rock sometimes...and it only made him break all the more because of it.

The people in that room had never told Kiril what they truly knew about Boris. They'd never told him about his mother too. Years later, when he was searching for answers in all the wrong places, he would finally discover the truth. Still, at eleven years old, Kiril didn't know anything about what had taken place with his parents.

Boris Balkov was a charming romantic who had fallen in love with the zoologist and genetics scientist Marina Petrova. She was a beautiful woman with long red hair and dazzling blue eyes, and Boris had been a geneticist that was studying the relationship between humans and bitbeasts and the connection brought about by blood bonds.

It had been Marina who had suggested a Beyblading school where they could train students and observe their relationships first hand. It had been Marina who had suggested breeding the students to be the most DNA specific to beyblading success. It had been Marina who had seduced Boris and married him in order to use his programs and his influence. It had been Marina who had told the man to do the heartless things he'd done, and the many crimes he'd committed.

Marina was the one who had asked Boris to breed a child that was capable of controlling the darkest bit beast in the world, Black Dranzer. They would create the Server that would be able to control all computers and using Black Dranzer to operate it they would be able to take over the world and make it the paradise it should be. It was Marina who had done the genetic experiments on her and Boris' egg and sperm in the attempt to create the perfect child.

Boris had worked with her, hoping to create a boy that the world could love and respect as their ruler. What they got though, were two children who were genetically similar but not quite blood related. Kai and Tala were created, and birthed to two powerful families. Kai to the Hiwatari family which was soaked in unimaginable wealth and popularity. Tala to the Valkov family which was the leading head of the Beyblading universe.

Only Tala wasn't the one that had inherited the ability to control Black Dranzer. That was Kai. Marina had been furious and had been so completely and totally enraged that she had left Boris. Boris had done it without her knowing, and she was infuriated. Her child was supposed to be the leader of the world, not Kai.

She tried to kill Tala, time and again, but Boris found them and after some time they both ended up in the Abbey. Marina locked away, out of sight and out of mind, and Tala growing up to be the perfect blader for Boris' plan. Yet Marina had known the whole while that somehow Tala had survived, and she had found him one day.

She'd drugged him, giving him enough to kill him, and had every intent to make him leave the Abbey so that he wouldn't ever be found again (just in case). Boris had been the one to save him. Boris had been the one to make her leave, and to clean his stomach and blood of the drug that was so close to killing him. Boris had known that if he had shown him any kindness or let it be known that the boy had survived, Marina would try again. She would try to end his precious life again.

So he didn't. He openly showed his dislike towards him. He put him on the three. He beat and whipped and drugged him. He ran experiments on him, and he shoved down all the hopes and dreams of having a family away. He still had Marina and so he could still try again.

With Kiril. Kiril was the child that he'd always wanted. The boy that he could show his care and affection to. The boy that he could lavish with riches and train to be special. Marina cared for the child because he wasn't her experiment or toy. He was to be the Prince of the World. She didn't like how Boris was always around the boy though and had tried to keep him away from Kiril as much as possible...she wanted to raise him to love her and listen to her. Not to Boris.

It had worked because Kiril honestly had a fear of the man. Even though Boris had done nothing but love him and had done nothing but show him affection, Kiril didn't like him and he was scared of him. He too was a pawn in his mother's chess board.

Her way out of the Abbey came in a quite unexpected manor. Mikhail Ivanov - the adopted child of Kai's parents. It was almost sinfully easy to wrap the young guard around her finger. Only, when they made their escape and only Kiril was the only one who made it, she began to worry. She hadn't counted on Mikhail delivering the boy to someone else and then getting captured. She hadn't planned on him getting killed and the ISA gaining custody of the child. She hadn't planned on any of that.

Boris on the other hand...he had known. He had known that Mikhail was a traitor, but he'd also known that Mikhail would do anything for his son. So he'd let Mikhail take the boy away from his mother in order to keep him from falling any farther under the woman's influence. He'd killed Mikhail because he'd needed too, but he'd always appreciated what he'd done.

Then she'd discovered that one of her twin unborn children was a female. She'd discovered this and rage overcame her. A woman would simply distract her son from his goal. So she had torn the child from her womb and killed her. The boy had been long dead, a still born she would never get to see live.

As she'd lay dieing she had requested for Tala to look after Kiril. He'd asked her why she'd entrust him with the boy, and she's simply told him that at least she knew Tala would care for the child and not let him come to any harm. She really believed that Kiril would one day still be the Prince of the World, and to do that he needed to be protected, and she knew that Tala could do it.

Tala never liked his biological mother. He never liked her at all. He hated her for everything she was, and he despised her for what she had been planning and scheming. In a twisted way, he hated her because she had destroyed Boris. Because she had taken that man and made him into the evil seeming person who was given the death penalty for his actions.

He could have claimed insanity, but Boris had known what he was doing and he had pled guilty at long last. He had died only a few months after Tala had pulled Kiril out of school that day. Lethal injection.

The night before he was going to have a steak dinner with garlic mashed potatoes, king crab legs, and lobster tail. There would be peas as well, and for dessert there was the Golden Opulence Sundae from Serendipity 3 in NY. The thousand dollar dessert was probably his last stiff to the world. He'd cost them a fortune on the way out.

Any normal person would be having a party because the man was dying. Tala had known that there was one planned at the F-Five campus. The Officers had mostly all attended, but Tala hadn't been there. He was in the prison that was holding Boris as he waited judgment.

He had requested it from the Prison, and they'd agreed, even if they'd felt unsure about leaving him alone with the man. He'd allowed himself to be searched and his gun and knife that were a constant at his side these days had been taken away from him. Almost twenty, the teenager walked into the man's cell, carrying his last meal with him.

Boris had been surprised, his eyes had taken him in like he had grown another head, and he'd looked so confused and shocked by the outcome that for the first time he hadn't been able to say anything. He watched as his first born entered his cell and set the meal down in front of him. All the while the boy was also silent.

He drew up a chair and he sat across from the man, not looking up at him as he handed the man his silverware. Funny how they had taken away _his _knife and yet given this man one of his own. Guess they didn't trust him.

"What are you doing here?" Boris asked as he stared at the boy. Tala hesitated before looking up, his blue eyes taking the man in truly for the first time. Purple hair was cut far shorter then it had been the last time they'd seen each other in the court room when Tala had been giving evidence against him. He looked thinner and paler and his muscles had deteriorated somewhat.

"I thought you would like some company." He answered softly, staring at him with unflinching eyes.

"You would give the man who...what was it..._enslaved five hundred boys to do his bidding..._company?" He quoted one of the statements that had been made against him, and Tala shook his head. He was ignoring the bitter tone.

"I would give my _father _company during his last meal." He told the man. "I thought it would taste bad...if you ate by yourself."

It was such a sweet sentiment that Boris felt tears mist in his eyes. He felt himself grow completely and totally awestruck by this boy that he'd spent so little time with in the past and yet now was sitting across from him calling him father. This boy who he'd longed to hear those words come from his mouth but for fear for his life said nothing.

"Is...Is Kiril-"

"No. He didn't want to come." Tala answered softly, looking away. The younger child had begged him not to take him, and he had promised because he wasn't going to force him to do anything. "Anna's looking after him while I'm here." He told him after a while.

"You...you like this girl?" Boris was fumbling awkwardly for words even as he started to eat. It was his last meal...better not let it go to waste. Tala raised an eyebrow at him, but nodded.

"Yes...I love her." Boris closed his eyes and let out a deep breath.

"I...I'm sorry for what I did to you two." He answered at long last. Tala stared at him in shock. The man had just apologized to him!

"You don't have to apologize, you're going to die, there's no need to say things like that." Tala pointed out bluntly. Boris shook his head though.

"If I don't say it now, you'll never know." He told him. "You're mother...she and I...we...weren't..._shouldn't _have been together. It was a mistake that led to so many poor decisions and deaths over the years. Many people were hurt because of us...because of me. Don't let this girl run your life like your mother did mine."

It was oddly surreal. Here he was sitting in a prison cell with his father who had spent his entire life beating him and yelling at him. Here he was hearing relationship advice from that man who had never once been a father to him. Yet somehow despite the oddity of the situation, Tala accepted it for what it was. Boris had been broken completely when Marina had died. He'd tried to carry out her last wishes, and he'd failed at that. Now that he'd failed there was nothing he could do except break down piece by piece and wait to die.

"If you two hadn't been together....Kiril and I wouldn't have been born, and I never would have met Kai and the others." Tala pointed out. Boris laughed slightly.

"Kai would still have his parents and your little friends would be with families that actually cared for them instead of beating them into submission every day of your lives."

"True." He looked away as the man continued eating, silence filling their room.

"Do...you want some of my peas?" The man asked randomly after a few moments. Tala blinked at him in open shock and confusion.

"Excuse me?" He asked, still flabbergasted.

"My peas...you like them don't you? I thought you did..."

"No, I do...but...I just wasn't expecting that." Tala said at long last, staring at him still.

"So...would you like some?"

Talk about surreal moments, but Tala did indeed nibble at a few peas and Boris had even let him try some of the sundae that had set the Guinness Book of World Records for most expensive dessert.

They talked very little, but when they did speak, it was about things that they never imagined they'd talk about with the other. Boris asked him what really had happened during those seven months Tala had vanished off the face of the Earth, or at least from Russia. Tala had explained briefly what had occurred, and the man had been rather awestruck to find that the redhead had been involved in theater.

"You're mother was a singer." He'd said when Tala had finished, and the teenager had stared at him and soon the man was delving into how the two had met. The whole conversation was terribly awkward, but when it was over Tala could honestly say that it was a meal that he would never forget for the rest of his life. It was the only time he had ever truly enjoyed spending time with Boris Balkov, and it was the last time he would see the man alive.

As Tala had stood up to leave, Boris had grabbed onto his wrist. The teen stiffened, flinching at the contact, and instantly the man had released him. He hadn't intended to scare the boy. Years before if that had happened, they both knew Tala would have received a beating for it. Now though...now Boris just wanted him to remember this last moment of him.

"Take care of -"

"Kiril, yeah I got it." He said awkwardly as he'd started to walk away, but once more then man grabbed his wrist. He didn't flinch this time.

"No...take care of yourself. Don't get into too much trouble...and....help those kids find good homes." He was talking about the F-Fives, and Tala nodded to him. "Give them a life that I should have given them but didn't."

"I will." He promised.

"And don't let that girl run yours." He repeated, referring to their earlier discussion.

"I won't."

"Be safe...son..." Boris whispered at long last, releasing the teen's wrist. The teen nodded, and looked at him long and hard.

"See you." He said, settling on the only thing he could think of.

"I die tomorrow at nine." He told the boy as the he'd started to leave. Tala hesitated and looked back.

"I thought it was eight thirty."

"No, it's nine." Boris told him sternly. Tala nodded.

"I'll be there."

"Alright. See you then..."

But Boris had lied. When Tala had gone to the prison the next morning, he stood frozen at the sight of his father's dead body. The man had lied to him. It had been at eight thirty. A part of him was saddened slightly by the fact that he had been lied to until the very end...while another part of him was glad that he hadn't had to watch the man's final moments.

He was used to lies and deceit, and so it didn't bother him as much as it should have. He'd left the prison and pushed Boris Balkov completely out of his mind.

Yet now, to hear Kiril tell him that he was worse then the man who had done nothing but beat and abuse the children of the Abbey for years, his heart was broken. To hear that at least Boris had managed to hold on to his mother, the crazy woman who had been planning on destroying the world for her own means, shattered his soul.

He was worse then Boris. He'd struck Kiril and he'd pushed Anna away. He'd broken his promise to his father. He had let her run his life. He'd given her his heart, and she'd torn it in two, and Kiril knew just what to do to make him suffer for it.

"Luka?" Bryan touched his arm, and he sighed looking up at him.

"I'm going back to Japan...gotta finish filling Tyson in on what's going on with the security system..." He mumbled as he turned to leave. Spencer stopped him.

"You know he was lying right? He was saying whatever he needed to say to piss you off."

"Why would he need to?" Tala asked, looking at his friends.

"Because he's a complete selfish twit that's why." Bryan hissed. "The kid's worse then a raging bull at times. I don't know where he got his attitude from but it sucks and he needs to get over himself...like now."

"Tala, the kid's just being a brat. A first rate one too. If he keeps it up with Adrien that boy really is going to die one day." Spencer added on, sighing heavily.

Tala nodded wearily. He knew all of this, but it still didn't make him feel any better. It made him feel worse if that was possible. It means he had failed his brother, failed Adrien, and failed everyone else too.

Sighing the man sat down on Kiril's bed and put his head in his hands. He'd never felt like such a complete and total failure before now. He'd never felt as though someone could hate him as much as he thought Kiril hated him now.

He knew exactly what Kiril thought of their father, and finding out that the boy thought less of him then he did that man only made him feel worse then dirt. Even if Kiril was just acting like a pissant for the sake of being a complete nuisance, saying what he'd said had hurt.

He knew that Kiril blamed him for Anna leaving, he'd just said as much only moments ago. Yet having it slapping him in the face while he mind was still fresh with thoughts about how Anna had led someone into the BBA's files hurt, and it hurt bad too.

In all honesty, Kiril himself felt bad about saying what he'd said back then. When he was sixteen years old, he could still easily recall Tala's horror stricken face and the pure agony in his eyes. Ever since then their relationship had been more rocky then a landslide. _But he hadn't known why until...until...why now? Why was he remembering all of this now?_

Tala became more and more devoted his work. He didn't leave one thing uncovered, and he spent obscene amounts of time training the younger generations. He barely was home anymore, and it had only made Kiril more and more frustrated.

And to make matters worse, the Officers purposefully kept Adrien away from him now. At first it was, _he's got pneumonia and he needs to rest_, then Kai up and took him to France with him. The fact that it was _Kai _that did it only made Kiril more and more enraged. He couldn't understand after everything that had happened between Adrien and Kai that the man would actually want to do anything with the boy, but the brunette had vanished out of the school and wouldn't appear for more than two months.

He wouldn't know then that Kai had taken Adrien because he'd been so terrified for the boy's safety back them. He wouldn't know that as soon as the man got the call he had panicked and gotten a plane ticket in the economy class to get over since he couldn't get one in first class. He braved the entire plane ride, his heart pounding in his throat the whole while to get back in time. Tala sat beside him, knowing he needed to get back as soon as possible also. Their hands were clasped painfully against each other and Kai couldn't help himself, he had a slight panic attack each time the plane jolted.

Tala's blue eyes would stare at him in terror and horror and neither of them were quite ready for this flight. They did everything in their power to avoid flying. Even if things took longer they much more preferred to take trains or boats then flying. They couldn't do that now though, and so they braved it together. Forcing each other to remain calm even if they were so terrified.

He wouldn't know that as the man ran up those stairs to see the boy who wanted nothing to do with him, Kiril's plan to keep the two apart had been ruptured by his desire to see Adrien preform for him. For when Kai had thrown open that door, that child had stared up at him with pained and fevered eyes of one that desperately needed someone to stay with him.

"Kai?" The boy had whispered softly and instantly the heir had his arms around him, and was rocking him gently in his arms. The boy froze in the hold though and for a moment Kai didn't realize that there was a problem until he felt the child struggle to make him let go.

"What are you doing, calm down and just rest for a minute alright-"

"I'm not your son!" The child yelled at him, and Kai grit his teeth slightly.

"I never said you were, but as my student you're sick and I'm here to care for you-"

"Leave me alone!" The boy coughed painfully, pushing against him once more and struggling to get out of his grasp. "Kiril-" He snapped his mouth shut. Kai wasn't supposed to know about what Kiril had said to him. Kai wasn't supposed to know anything.

"If you tell me to leave right now, I'm liable to kill Kiril. So just shut up for a minute. If you really want to protect Kiril you'll let me hold you until you go to sleep." Tears welled in the boy's eyes, and Adrien nodded against his firm chest. The boy cried for hours, earning many headaches and coughing fits. His already weak lungs not handling the pneumonia very well. Still, he rocked back and forth and eventually was soothed by Kai's gentle voice and warm hands running through his hair.

After the boy had fallen asleep in his arms, Kai stayed in his room and called Adeline to make the arrangements. He didn't care how long it took, Adrien wasn't staying here. Three weeks later they were on a plane to France before Kiril even knew they were leaving. He would find out afterwords, and he would be sick with anger for the next two months.

On the tarmac Adrien scowled as he looked at Kai. He didn't appreciate the fact that Kai was kidnapping him, and yet he really didn't have the choice. He was still too weak to be able to resist, and all of the Officers were there to force him into cooperating. He wasn't happy about it, but there was nothing he could do.

"You can't just treat your students like this." Adrien snapped as he glared at their first class seats that must have cost a fortune. Kai sighed and shook his head. He was tired of hearing that as an excuse.

"Adrien, if I was going to treat you like a student I would have sent you back there into coach by yourself."

"Exactly! You should have done that!" The brunette argued, crossing his arms over his chest. He plane started to move backwards, and he jumped when Kai suddenly slammed his hands down on the arm rests and closed his eyes. "A-are you okay?" He asked worriedly. He'd never seen that expression before on Kai's face and he was starting to get concerned. Red eyes glanced over to him and the man cracked a small grin.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, don't worry about me." He said simply, but the plane jolted once more and he clenched again.

Awareness suddenly dawned on the boy. This wasn't about coach seating, Kai would have put him back there if he had half the mind to do so, but he couldn't. He needed someone next to him that he knew if he was going to fly. It all stemmed down to that crash not all that long ago. Only a year or so had passed since then and Kai was anxious.

"Your scared of flying." The boy said softly, looking at the man's face. A small grin cracked.

"Just a bit." He admitted weakly as another tremor rocked the plane. He gasped for breath, and the brunette took his hand in his and leaned over- pressing his head on the man's chest.

"Hold me." He said softly, closing his eyes and leaning into the heir. Kai hesitated, but did as he was told. He held the boy to him, and as the plane lifted off the ground and rocketed into the air he forced himself to not squeeze the life out of this terribly trusting child. The boy whispered softly. "Breathe." And he did.

There were very few things that could scare Kai Hiwatari, but he knew the dangers of airplanes now and he knew exactly what it was like to crash them. Putting someone on a plane that he loved and deeply cared for was akin to a torture that even Boris couldn't have dreamed up. Still, Kai had known that the alternative was far worse. He had understood that he needed to do this.

It didn't mean he had to be happy about it though. He forced himself to breathe and he focused on the precious child in his arms. _His _child, if he would have him. Unbeknown to him, the child was doing the exact same thing. Adrien was solely focused on Kai.

He was focused on his smell, the warm comfort that were his arms, _everything. _He couldn't help himself. It had been quite some time since they'd ever been together like this. Months had passed since that day he'd been so cruel to this man. He tried to make himself feel nothing, but it was impossible. How do you spend three years, now four, around someone and feel _nothing_ for them?

Kai sighted. As fun as this was, he knew it would have to end sooner or later. After thirty minutes or so he felt his eyes open and he smiled slightly. Was it just him or was Adrien actually _snuggling _into his chest during this whole experience? Anyway...they were off the ground and he hadn't broken the arm rest yet. An improvement of his last few flying attempts. He tapped the boy on the back.

"Thanks." Kai whispered, pulling away. Adrien hesitated for a moment before sitting back up again. He looked the other direction as though they were being watched and his every action would be repeated to Kiril at a later date. "I know what he told you, by the way." Green eyes glanced towards him. "About your father and me....I know what Kiril said to you...why you said the things you did back then." The boy's mouth dropped. "You're...a loyal friend to stay with him despite what he was saying."

"Or maybe I just don't want to break my promises." Adrien posed simply enough.

"Maybe." He allowed. "Your father though...I don't think he would have liked what happened a few weeks ago. You jumping into that well-"

"How would you know what my father would like?" Adrien hissed, glowering at him.

"I did go to the Abbey Adrien. I did know who your father was, and I know how close you were to him." The boy gasped and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Tell me about him?" He asked softly, and Kai smiled slightly.

"He was...bold. He was loyal too, a lot like how you are with Kiril. He would do anything for a friend, even if he had an odd way of going about it. He would have loved to see you escape the way you did...and live the life you do now. He died before anything was ever resolved." Adrien nodded and glanced away. "When I asked you all those years ago to be my son, I didn't ask you because I wanted to replace your father in your heart."

"Why did you ask then? I'm old enough to be your brother, why did you want to adopt me like Commander Ivanov did with Kiril?"

"Tala adopted Kiril out of obligation. He had an obligation to Kiril and he had an obligation to himself because they were related. You and I are not related. I don't owe you anything, I don't owe your father anything. When I adopted you, I did it because I wanted you to be alright. You were suffering so much because your father died and the Abbey was gone and you didn't know what was going on around you. I wanted to give you a family you could turn to if you needed help. I wanted to give you someone that you could trust to go to with your problems. I didn't know how else to do it, but I knew that I wanted to take care of you and make you happy. I wanted to see you smile and know you were alright...

"When I got the call that you jumped into the well and were sick, I thought you were going to die. I almost flew here by myself to get back to you to see if you were alright. I just happened to meet Luka on the plane and we managed to sit next to each other." Not that that helped much. He still had to pay for the armrest that had been...injured.

"You were going to fly by yourself?" Adrien asked skeptically as he looked at the man who had literally just freaked out when they'd taken off.

"Yeah, I really was." He sighed heavily. "When I found out that Kiril had told you that you'd be breaking your promise to your father if you stayed with me...that you were dishonoring his memory...I couldn't blame you for saying what you did." He reached into his wallet and the boy stared in shock at the adoption certificate that he pulled out. "I shredded a photocopy that night, I don't usually carry the real deal around with me." He smiled, and tears welled up in the child's eyes as his fingers traced the edges of the glittery paper. "So I want to ask you...do you want to give this a go? From what I remember of your dad...he wouldn't want you to be alone...and he wouldn't want you to not have anyone to turn to. He would have been very pleased, I think, if you had someone you could go to for help or guidance. I'm not talking about being called your father, I'm not talking about taking his place...I'm talking about being there for you if you want me too.

"The past three and a half years I've been looking out for you Junior...I can't just ignore that and move on with my life. If you want me to...I won't hover and I'll stay in the background, but I'm not going to be able to ignore you. I want to still be apart of your life...if you'll let me."

For a long while there was silence. Adrien didn't look as though he knew quite what to say. He stared at the certificate for a long time, his eyes running over it and drinking in his name and this man's name. He looked at it, and he big his lip slightly. Glancing up at the man he knew his answer before he could even say it.

"When we're not in public...and...no one...least of all Kiril's around...I wouldn't mind..._pretending _you were my father...and I was your son..." He told him softly, and for a moment he thought he saw the man cry.

"Alright...then...my _pretend _son...can I at least tell you _now_...that I love you, and I'm glad you're alright?" Tears formed in Adrien's eyes at that though, and he could only imagine that this would be what his father would have said to him.

"Yeah, dad-" The man's breath caught "and thank you." He reached out and he held the man to his chest, and Kai gripped the boy to his own, refusing to let go. He held him as close as he possibly could and the two of them cried together, so happy they couldn't help it.

When the plane landed, Kai had his arm around the small child's shoulders, and he was leading him through the airport expertly. He still looked a little pale from the landing, but he was surviving. Moving through the terminal he easily made it outside (They hadn't checked any luggage – much to Adrien's annoyance). A limo was waiting for them, and the two climbed into it slowly.

Adrien was staring around him in awe. Even if he hadn't _really _wanted to be on this trip, he certainly had gotten attached to the idea rather quickly when he stepped out and into the streets of Paris. His breath left him as he looked around him in shock.

"It's nice huh?" Kai asked as he glanced to the busy streets that were flooded with tourists and pedestrians just trying to get home or to work. Adrien was stunned.

"It's so different from Moskva..." He whispered in awe.

"Nah, it's not all that different. Look, you see that?" He pointed to the tall trademark tower way off in the distance. "The Eiffel tower. Look familiar?" Adrien frowned. "It's like the Ostankino Tower."

"Ostankino is the largest tower in Europe though. Only that stupid CN tower is bigger..." Adrien muttered, not impressed. Kai couldn't suppress the smug smile that crossed his face.

"Oh we have trained you well young padawan."

"Huh?"

"When I first came here to visit Adeline, she took great pride in this city and when I pointed out that Moskva was, clearly, better...she wasn't thrilled. It's been an ongoing battle ever since to compare the two cities. Now I have my young apprentice by my side, the dark side-"

"What is with all the Star Wars references?" Kai just giggled.

"Well, we could always draw references to some obscure play or story or history, but that wouldn't be nearly was entertaining now would it?"

"So how tall is the Eiffel Tower?"

"It's ranked fifteen on your WFGT list. It's about three-hundred and twenty-four meters tall. Which is how many feet?" Kai glanced at the boy. Hey, he helped run a school. Of course he was going to grill the kid. Adrien rolled his eyes.

"One thousand sixty-three." The Eiffel Tower had vanished and now they were whisking down the streets. "What else did you compare?"

"Hmm? Oh...the Red Square and the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. Then there's the Opéra Garnier and the Bolshoi Theatre. Paris City Hall, and the Kremlin. The Louvre versus the Pushkin...which I still think we won." That seemed to be a sore topic considering how much the man was grumbling about it.

"She got the point?"

"Of course she did. _We have the Mona Lisa _she says. Bah, DaVinci could have done better."

"Dan Brown says it was a master piece."

"Dan Brown also says that you can drive across Rome in four and a half minutes. It's impossible, especially when the Pope is dead and everyone's crowding around trying to figure out when they're going to get a new leader for their faith." Adrien had to admit...that was a good point. "And what are you doing reading that book anyway? Isn't it a little above and beyond your grade level?"

"Aren't all the Fortune Five-Hundreds considered to be prodigies capable of reasoning above the norm?" Kai snorted. Smart ass.

The limo was pulling up a drive now towards a very fancy building that was surrounded by guards and the limo driver needed to give information to them. Adrien was glancing out the window with an awestruck look on his face. Kai didn't seem to be too disturbed by this whole scenario.

"Kai..." The man looked over to him. It kind of stung, he was half expecting to be called dad again. Still, beggars can't be choosers. "Where are we?"

"Daunting?" The boy nodded as the limo moved on and the whole palatial mansion came into view. "Welcome to the home of Princessé Adeline Napoleon." Adrian's mouth dropped. The door opened to the left, and Kai stepped out. He glanced back in when Adrien was still frozen. "You coming Junior?" The boy nodded and slowly slid out, and straight into the arms of a flustered woman who was all but trying to see if he had any harm. She hadn't even spared Kai a glance, and the man noticed it too. "Now that just isn't very nice. I come all this way and you ignore me." Adeline wasn't paying attention, and in all honesty neither was Adrien. He was too absorbed with the hug the woman was giving him as she whispered softly to him in French.

He didn't understand why, he certainly didn't know enough French to be able to understand her words, and yet tears had come to his eyes. He blinked passed her and stared at Kai who had sobered up nicely and was watching him with concern evident on his face. The child just reached out a hand and almost instantly the former World Champion beyblader had his arms around both him and the petite blonde who was still whispering softly to him.

It may not have been perfect, and it may not have been the most magical moment in their lives, but Adrien couldn't help but envision this as family. He apologized to his deceased father and he apologized to his long dead mother. He was moving on, and he found parents who wanted him to stay with them.

Kiril hadn't meant it, but his actions had only brought the Kai and Adrien even closer, and made him and Tala's relationship worse.

When the redhead was home, he skirted around Kiril, barely knowing what to say and how to act, and whenever they did come in contact a fight was almost assured to happen. The other F-Fives started to resent Kiril because they'd figured out that it was his fault their Commander kept himself so focused on other things now.

"What's your problem!? Can't you just leave him alone?! He's trying to help you out and you just keep throwing it in his face!" They'd yell at him and mock him and bully him as much as possible, and Kiril's anger was only fueled.

Surprisingly though, once he returned from his sabbatical in France, Adrien stayed by him the whole time. He was an unflinching force that would never move. He was incapable of speaking badly of his friend, and so he always stood up for him. No one could explain his loyalty to the boy, and many times people tried to get him to stop hanging out with him.

"You're just going to get hurt again Adrien!"

"Yeah, he's just going to get you killed one day."

"Just because he was supposed to be the Prince of the World doesn't mean he actually is, he's just a bully!"

Kai had spoken to him about it once, and Adrien had told him simply: _even if it's wrong, it's still my life to lead the way I want too. I made a promise, and I'm not going to break it. Even if it is wrong._

Adrien had stayed firm, and he'd ignored everyone who'd tried to convince him otherwise. Kai never spoke to him about it again. Kiril found his loyalty surprising, and he couldn't understand why it was he always did that, but in the end, he pushed it to the back of his brain and focused on his work.

Bryan was teaching them a special technique in beyblading, and he trained everyday to perfect it. Unlike many of the other kids, he went to school in the city and not at the campus. He took extra classes on the campus itself, but it wasn't his full time education. He hadn't wanted to take the F-Five classes. (Which was another reason why the kids tended to not like him. He was getting all the benefits of being an F-Five without doing any of the work).

As they got older, the lessons got harder and more advanced (as they should). A lot of the F-Fives had started to take jobs around town. Kai always managed to find a job for them in one of his many work places. Under Hiwatari Enterprises they managed to flourish. The F-Fives who wanted to be businessmen interned in his offices and the ones who wanted to be doctors were sent to the finest institutions to do so.

However the most wanted job that almost every one on the campus wanted, were the jobs with the ISA and the BBASS. They were the dream jobs, and Tala himself was the one who accepted or denied requests to join. Usually he didn't let anyone do so until they were at least sixteen years old. Depending on the track record, he'd allow a few fifteen year olds to do the same, and he was not swayed in the least by the "you let Johnny do it and he's fifteen" argument. It was all about how good you were as a soldier. He didn't want to see any F-Fives get killed and so he didn't let just anyone join.

Once Kiril realized that a great many of the students were doing that, he wanted to do it too. The only problem was he needed Tala's approval and Tala and him didn't quite get along anymore. So he was reduced to begging on hands and knees almost every time he saw the man. Tala was not persuaded, and he didn't even give him a second glance.

"You're too young." He said the first time, when Kiril had just turned fourteen.

"I'm just as good as Henri and I'm even better then Toad!" Tala rolled his eyes.

"And you're no where near sixteen. Deal with it." He had walked away before his brother could get any more insistent, and from then onwards it took up the most of their time.

Adrien sighed and followed him around still, and sometimes he'd be used as cannon fodder to go up against Tala or Kai on Kiril's behalf. Kai, mainly because even though he was a retired agent he was in charge of placement of all F-Fives in the work field and so in theory Kai needed to be okay with any ISA/BBASS placements that occurred. Whenever he'd show up at their doors feeling awkward and foolish they'd invite him down and feed him cookies, telling him that the answer was still no.

"He really wants to do this..." He'd try, but the two brothers would sternly tell him that they were too young and that under no circumstances were they going to be given any missions until they proved they were mature enough to handle it, and whining every day for the next two years wasn't going to earn them any points.

"Think of it this way Adrien, you'll be keeping him a lot safer if he doesn't do any missions any time soon." Tala had suggested once as he passed him a chocolate chip cookie and offered him a chair by the fire. He'd always liked the boy, it was hard not too. He was gentle and sweat, and kind, and the only bad quality he really had was his complete obedience to Kiril. Whenever it came to Kiril the brunette would lose his sense of meek kindness and suddenly be overrun with a malice that was had to predict. He could be downright dangerous if he thought there was trouble afoot.

"I understand sir, but it's not my place to tell him that." He said meaningfully looking at his Commander. Tala strained a smile.

"And you think it's mine? He doesn't listen to me when I try to give advice."

"Perhaps it is you who aren't listening to the right signals?" Adrien had posed, and Tala smiled and ruffled his hair.

"You're a good boy Adrien. Keep my Chiro out of trouble would ya?"

"Of course sir...but...you should call _him _that to his face...I think he would like it."

Tala had taken the boy's advice, and he'd been hoping to come to some common ground with his brother. It hadn't turned out that way though...and instead it only made him feel worse. Kiril had whipped about and yelled at him: _don't you ever call me that again. I'm not your child and I'm ashamed to be your brother! _

Heart broken and feeling completely and totally miserable in every way shape and form, Tala had walked away, feeling himself growing into an ever deeper depression. Adrien apologized to him profusely, and the boy had been horror struck when he'd heard his friend say that, but it made no difference.

Tala just patted his head and move on with life. He could care less at this point. It didn't matter.

So he focused himself on his work. There was one thing that he knew could make Kiril happy, and that was if Anna came back again. He had always been trying to find her, but now he was looking into it with a renewed passion. He looked through everything over and over again, he ran over the words in her letter.

He pulled up her files and research, but most importantly, he thought about the hack at the BBA...why would Anna hack there...she would have to have known that they would have noticed it...she would have had to have known he would be called and he'd recognize what had happened...so why would she do it? Why would she bother?

He bit his lip as he tried to think.

There had been no address from the computer...there'd been no IP trail...there'd been nothing. It had been like a ghost seeping into the dark...he hadn't told Tyson that he'd checked where the computer hack had taken place from. The fact that there was no answer only made him worry.

He knew of only one thing that could hack someplace without having a trail. One hand touched his head out of reflex. He closed his eyes and imagined the computer that was hacked into. He imagined it and he saw all the numbers and codes flash before him. Suddenly the answer was clear. His LXCom had been all the answer he'd needed. The chip that Boris had implanted him with so he could control Black Dranzer had known the trail the moment it had thought about it.

Anna wasn't helping the person learn how to hack. She wasn't even helping him learn the secrets of the BBA.

He picked up his phone, it was easier then using his chip sine he had a headache growing, and he dialed Kai's number. The man answered it on the third ring.

"Hello?" He asked as he answered.

"I think Anna built the Black Dranzer Server again." Tala said, his breathing increasing as everything made complete and total sense to him in one horrible moment.

There was silence. Silence, and then:

"Where are you?"

"At the campus."

"I'm coming to pick you up. I'll call the others. We need to track that server, and destroy it before anything else happens." Tala nodded. He knew that was what was going to happen, but he still wondered slightly if they could find the girl. After all this time, they'd been searching forever, and now they finally got a hint...and they were still no closer then they were all those years ago.

Anna wasn't teaching someone how to hack...she was running the computer that was linked to the Black Dranzer server...and in the blink of an eye she could wipe out every computer system in the world. All she had to do was train a pilot how to use it...and from what Tala could tell...they were running out of time.


	8. Riche Donahue

**Windstar: **I hope everyone has a happy New Years and I wish them all the best during this holiday season. Right now we've jumped ahead a few years (sort of). Just to keep things into perspective. At this time:

It has been eleven years since the world championships.

Kiril: fifteen

Adrien: fourteen

Tala and Kai: twenty seven

Bryan and Spencer : twenty eight

Adeline and Anna: twenty nine

Ian: twenty six.

I hoped this helped some people keep track of things now that everyone's a bit older it's nice to just go back and make sure every now and then. Thanks to my wonderful reviewers, I love you as always!

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

This is a quasi filler/repeat chapter. It's here so that any vitally important information is repeated enough times so that it's remembered. It won't be mentioned again and in the upcoming stories it WILL be important. Also, this was the first chapter I ever wrote for this story. So you all lucked out and got seven chapters more then originally planned. That being said, imagine this as being the first chapter and you may very well understand why I went into such great detail about things.

It's a bit long, but I figured it'd be great for a new years present. Enjoy!

**Chapter Seven: **

"I don't believe this...Adrien! Adrien!" At fifteen years of age Kiril Ivanov was about as lucky as a fly in a house full of automatic flyswatters. It had been a whim, and a hint of rebelliousness, that had lead him and his best friend Adrien to lie to the ISA and tell them that they were given permission to go on their first solo mission for the F-Five (Fortune Five-hundred) under the clearance of their superior. It was a believable enough lie, everyone at the office knew that the boys had been begging their commander day and night to go on their first mission.

"You were doing missions when you were fifteen!" Had been their excuse, and it had been politely returned that things were, of course, different when he was fifteen. Kai Hiwatari had been the next person they'd gone too. Begging and pleading to the retired agent, they'd been hoping he'd see the light and talk some sense into his red headed brother who clearly had no idea what he was talking about.

They were met with severe disappointment (but disappointment that was accompanied by candy when he sent them home). So, they gave up, waited until both Tala and Kai had gone to some business meeting someplace, and they told the office that they had permission. Presenting their badges as members of F-Five they requested to go on any mission available and they were sent on this one.

Their job had been to locate the serial killer Riche Donahue. He'd murdered seventeen people in the past month alone, their bodies had turned up mutilated and strewn out about the world in various locations. He was on a killing spree and his current spot was Moskva Russia.

Happy as clams the two boys ran off to do their job, and that had led them, unfortunately, to where they were now. They'd tracked Donahue's patterns to an old warehouse at the edge of town and when they investigated it they...accidentally came across a hole in the boarded ground. Which is how Kiril ended up staring into the darkness calling for his friend who had vanished from sight and sound.

"Awe man this sucks. Adrien, are you alright?" He reached into his pocket where he had put things he'd need. A flashlight, spare bullets, pliers, wire cutters, a lock pick and a few other knick knacks he remembered seeing in his brother's case back at home. Shining the flashlight down the hole he frowned. There were pipes and things of that nature just underneath him, and Adrien would have surely hit them before disappearing into the abyss. "Adrien? If this is a joke I'm going to kill you..." He warned as he licked his lips for a moment. When he heard nothing though he took a deep breath and he slowly eased himself into the hole his friend had made.

Jumping down onto the first pipe he caught his footing and he started to shine the flashlight around him. On his leg, his hands thumbed the clasp on the gun he had in his holster. Taking it into his hand he warily looked around the darkness for a moment before slowly yet surely starting to descend deeper underground.

The darkness of the place reminded him eerily enough of the Abbey. Shaking slightly the bronze haired child rubbed his gun-hand against his arm in an attempt to warm his skin that was suddenly frigid. He was suddenly feeling very uneasy. Tala had told him time and again to trust his instincts, and right now he was definitely vibeing that it was time to go. Without Adrien if that's what that meant.

"Adrien?" He whispered quietly into the dark. There was a clank from somewhere behind him and he turned quickly, shining his light towards the wall behind him. He'd walked far now, and he was only counting on his memory to lead him back to the hole and the way out. There seemed to be a whole underground cavern down here filled with plumbing and electrical pipes. Yet there was no Adrien...he felt a tingle going up his spine and his brother's words echoed in the back of his mind. _If you feel like you need to run...run...then is not the time to stand your ground..._

"I'll be back...I'm coming back with help..." The words were quiet, spoken to himself, he couldn't say it any louder. His mind was ordering him to run and now. He didn't have time to wait. Whipping about to go back the way he came, he barely had time to scream when he turned straight into a man who effortlessly crashed the butt of his own gun straight into his head. Kiril fell to the ground, only then catching sight of Adrien who was lying lifelessly not too far away...and the last thing he thought was that he'd just walked right up to the man and signed him and his friend up to be numbers eighteen and nineteen.

* * *

Tala stormed through the F-Five campus, his fave livid with anger as he marched with a furious pace up towards the dorms where a certain bronze haired brother of his should have been at that particular moment. Of course, the redhead knew he wasn't going to be there – not once in the past few years had that boy been _anywhere _he had been supposed to be. Still though, it was worth a shot, albeit a small shot, that the teen had actually listened to him instead of going off on his rebellious streak that was going to just piss the Commander off even more.

Some of the other F-Fives noticed his gait and knew better then to get involved, stepping out of the way to let him march through campus, hell at his heels. Not too far behind him was a fumbling man who no one could recognize. He was calling out for the younger man, yelling his title and surname, and was dutifully annoyed.

Some of the older kids were watching the scene with snickering faces as they remembered all too well the last few times that Tala had been heading in that direction. For some reason, Kiril had been particularly mouthy in the past few years. Ever since he'd turned thirteen he'd been pushing for a fight almost every time he and his older brother got into the same room with each other.

Several times Tala had been forced to leave in the middle of a mission because no one could find the errant teen. Seems like this was another one of those times. The Commander of the ISABD and the F-Fives was pissed off and not in the mood to talk with anyone except for his brother it seemed. Whoever the stranger was that was tagging along was more of a nuisance.

"Commander Ivanov! Commander Ivanov!" The man yelled as he tried to keep up with the all but fuming redhead whose face matched his hair. He looked ready to slaughter someone and now was most certainly not the time to stop him. Still the man tried to pick up his pace and he hurried to catch up.

"What do you think he wants?" One of the older teens asked as they motioned towards the man who looked little less then sure if it was all that great of an idea to follow.

"Who knows, but if he keeps at it, it'll be quite the show." Another one of the teens snickered as the man seemed to all but run to finally grab the good leader's shoulder and force him to face him. "Oh boy."

"He just touched him!"

"He's so dead."

Blue eyes narrowed dangerously, and the man gulped as he stared into those cobalt eyes. There was a warning there, and almost instantly the stranger let him go. He knew now, without a doubt, that this was perhaps not exactly the right time to do this. However, despite his fear, he was surprisingly steadfast, and held his ground even as the glaring eyes of death bore straight into his skull.

"Who the hell are you?" The redhead hissed as he glowered at the man. The teens had started to get closer, and they were listening with earnest now. Some of the older F-Fives had noticed the show down was about to take place too and had started to inch closer as well. It was always a sight to see the redhead actually fighting with someone, especially when it wasn't one of them. Everyone had been on the receiving end of the man's ire before, some more then others, but to actually witness him using his powers against someone other then them was actually a fun thing to observe.

Mainly because Tala rarely went easy on them. As F-Fives they were special in ways that most people wouldn't understand. They were blessed with never having to worry about monetary matters so long as they actually worked and did things for the sake of the F-Five community. They were blessed with caring teachers and wonderful grounds to live and work on. They were also blessed with loving and kind directors who oversaw everything fairly.

That being said, Tala himself expected a level of obedience that was above and beyond what any other leader or parent figure would expect of their underlings. Because they were so blessed, God help them if they messed up. No one wanted to see that man when he was pissed off, and so few did it if they could help it. The only person who ever did try to piss off the man was Kiril, and that was because he knew with some certainty that his brother wasn't _really _going to kill him even if he threatened to do so.

Now, this stranger...this stranger was fair game. Where Tala felt responsible for his F-Five _children_ and his progeny, he most certainly felt nothing for this man who had come onto _his _property and stopped him on his way from a fight that he actually did want to have with someone...a certain bronze haired someone who had been nothing but trouble for the past few years now.

All the F-Fives had to say, is that Kiril was either extraordinarily lucky that this man showed up to let Tala blow some steam off before their showdown, or he was extraordinarily unlucky because this man could only make the redhead more infuriated about whatever it was that Kiril had done wrong this time.

As far as everyone could figure, their Commander had been in Brazil dealing with a drug trade of some sort that was about to hit the global market and nobody wanted that to happen. So he and three others had gone out to settle the issue (AKA: assassinate the poor unfortunate who had started causing all the trouble). Yet here he was and with the way he had been heading over to his brother's dorm there was little question as to once again what had caused the man to return on a war path.

"My...my name is Yuroslav Egorov, and...and well...I'm...I'm responsible for the insurance on this property." The man motioned around to the campus about them. Tala blinked. Everyone blinked too. The man had stopped him while he was on a tirade to talk about insurance.

"He's so dead." One of the teens decided right then and there, and it didn't take long for the others to agree as well.

"You...came all the way out here...to discuss insurance?" He hissed, his eyes staring coldly into the man's face, just to make sure that he understood _exactly _what the man had said. Egorov nodded sheepishly before seemingly coming to grips with himself and pulling himself back together.

"We've overlooked your property on a few other occasions and since this institution is covered as a _school_ we've come to a few conclusions that we felt necessary to inform to you in person to make sure that all was understood."

"If we're a school, then you must be under the assumption that we teach a few classes right?" Tala asked as he glowered at the man who flinched and colored a few shades.

"Yes..."

"And I'm sure that language is one of the things you believe we teach the...fertile minds of Russia, correct?"

"Ah...assumedly..."

"Then wouldn't a letter suffice just fine considering you've already assumed that we know how to read perfectly fine?!" There were a few snickers here and there and Tala shot a glare towards the teens who were listening not too far away. "Find Kiril and bring him back here in ten minutes or you've all got detention." He hissed.

"For what?" They asked laughing, calling the empty threat as they heard it. The insurance man looked back and forth between the two parties, still shaken from finding himself in a pickle from the earlier claim.

"For pissing me off. Now get!" The boys laughed heartily and nodded.

"See you at dinner then Tala!" They called as they ran off towards the dorm to hunt down the man's brother.

"Cute kids..." Egorov said, hoping to gain some ground on the man. Blue eyes snapped back to him, sharper then ever before. Any threat to the students of the school were dealt with harshly, and he did not approve of this man saying anything like that about the boys that lived there. Especially because he was pissing him off to start with.

"They wouldn't treat you anywhere near the same way if you tried to talk to them so don't get any ideas. Now what was so important that a letter just was so insufficient?" He grumbled, pulling his backpack off his back and letting it fall to the floor with a thump.

"There are a few things, first of all; you have a ropes course on the....east end of campus."

"Yeah? What about it?" He asked as he stared at the man.

"It's not going to be covered if one of the students falls off."

"They won't fall off." He told the man simply. Egorov blinked, staring at him in confusion.

"It's a ropes course! Of course someone-"

"The youngest person on this campus is twelve. If that twelve year old brat Shishi is dumb enough to fall off a two foot high piece of rope and knock himself out then he won't be needing to worry about the insurance company taking care of him for a ropes course injury. He's going to be needing to worry about all they therapist visits he'll need for the incessant bullying that will occur upon his failure. Trust me when I say that that boy will not fall off. Nor will anyone on this campus. I could hardly care less about you covering for that."

"The climbing wall -"

"Again, no one's going to get hurt and even if they did it wouldn't be bad."

"My God, aren't you worried about being sued?!"

"From who? All five hundred kids in this place are technically wards of the Hiwatari family. We're not going to be suing ourselves here." The redhead pointed out as he rolled his eyes. "If that's all you've come to tell me-"

"Tala!" The two teens were running back, panic on their faces. The redhead turned and stared at them, his breath catching in his throat.

"What is it?" He asked calmly, though from the look of resignation on his face it seemed obvious that he knew what was going on.

"Kiril and Adrien are both gone." They told him, their eyes glancing towards Egorov who was staring slack jawed at the scene. Tala let out a long sigh, one hand pressing to his forehead as he took a deep breath.

"Both of them?" He asked after a while, although he already knew the answer.

"Yeah, we asked Jericho, and he said that the two of them were slaving over a whole bunch of papers for hours and then they grabbed some...tools from Havoc Barn and left campus yesterday. They haven't shown up since."

"Yesterday huh? He mumbled, eyes glowering up the hill to where the dorm was. He looked back at the insurance agent, his eye brows raising slightly. "I think you should go, unless you want to be getting an insurance claim on the sudden beating of two _dumb ass _fifteen year old _dip shits_ in a few minutes?" The man looked worriedly at the two informants who laughed.

"No need to worry about us sir, though it would be best if you left."

"Sampson, escort the man off the campus would you? Bastion, I need you with me." Tala instructed coolly.

"Commander Ivanov-" The insurance man didn't even get a chance to continue whatever it was he was going to say. The broader of the two teens started to push the man back towards the gates, and the red headed commander marched forward, eyes glowering forward with annoyance as he stared at the various people who were standing around watching the scene. Bastion was running to follow his commander, his hand sliding into his pocket to grab his cell phone.

"You want me to give him a call?"

"Call Adrien, if anyone he'd be the one who'd pick up." The man muttered as he rolled his eyes slightly.

After Anna's disappearance six years earlier, his relationship with his beloved little brother could best be described as the following. Tala was water. He was simple and clean and he always knew which way to go. Kiril was a cat. A cat that was lousy at conversation didn't want to have anything to do with him and was very much an annoying little pissant half the time. Combine the two together and all there were were fights and screaming matches that put much of the F-Fives to shame.

The boy did things sometimes that purposefully annoyed the redhead. Like, ignoring his cell phone whenever someone from the F-Fives called him. Or, sneaking out late to go to one of the brothels in town.

Now _there _had been a story that had gone down in the record books as a fight from hell. Not even the fearless F-Fives had wanted anything to do with that fight. They'd all scattered and ran when they saw the explosion coming.

Adrien had begged and pleaded for Kiril to listen to him, and the bronze haired boy had ignored him completely. He'd gone and hired a prostitute from one of the brothels and had brought her back onto the campus. Adrien was forced to play as guard, which was rather cruel since the shy boy never stood a chance in blocking the door when Tala wanted to get by.

In fact, it had been Kai who had stepped in and saved the teen from any damage when the infuriated redhead had stormed into the dorm. The shy brunette had fumbled awkwardly, trying to lie the best he could, and failing on all counts.

"What the hell are you doing Kiril?" The redhead had hissed when he'd thrown the door open and came to the sight of the plastic surgery queen of disease who was currently leaning over his little brother who had the audacity to be smoking a cigarette and holding a bottle of beer through the whole process.

In three quick steps he'd stormed into the room and yet the younger brother hadn't moved at all. The girl was looking back and forth between the two looking far too confused and not quiet sure what was going on or if she wanted to get involved.

"Getting a lap dance." The boy had replied, taking a sip of beer before slowly bringing the burning stick to his mouth to take a puff. Within nanoseconds the stick was out of his mouth and crunched on the floor and the beer bottle had smashed into the wall beside the teen's head. He'd apologize to Dri later. Whether from spite or just cruelty, Kiril had been doing everything on Adrien's bed and the teen would be forced to deal with the mess afterward.

"Umm...is this a two for one special?" The girl asked, confused as the elder brother leaned over her to glare at his brother. Kiril bit his lip to try not to laugh at his brother's completely innocent and horribly mortified face. The redhead reeled back in horror, his face as dark as his hair as he stared at the all but naked woman before him.

"Clothe yourself madam!" He yelped as he tried to divert his attention. Kiril _was _laughing now, his brother's reaction too funny to pass up.

Once she'd successfully found her clothes, which really weren't much better then her standing in the nude, Kai had called a car and sent her home with more then enough pay to last her through the month, the fight began. Poor Adrien was trapped in his room, sandwiched between Kai on one side and Bryan on the other. Spencer wasn't all that far away, all of them acting as mediators when things got a little out of hand.

The brunette looked like he wanted to sink into the floor he was so embarrassed about the situation. Ridden with anemia, asthma, and far too much awkwardness, the boy wouldn't have survived the Abbey if it had continued. That much anyone could see.

It was a common affliction with the younger F-Fives. They weren't as strong as the older ones and in cases like Adrien, it became all the more obvious why they had worked so hard to destroy that awful place to start with.

He was genuinely a nice boy though, a bit shy, but nice enough. It was hard to _not _like him. He followed Kiril around like a puppy sometimes though, and for some reason the bronze child liked making him be in charge of cleaning up all his messes and lies. At first, the Officers had been a little ticked at Adrien, but when the realized everything for what it was, they just found themselves excusing whatever it was the brunette did and focused on Kiril's increasing attitude problems. Kai was the champion of this switch in focus, and in all honesty the next time he was alone with the boy Adrien thanked him over and over again because he too was getting sick and tired of being punished for the other boy's misdeeds.

In the end, Kiril was grounded from everything and told that in no way shape or form was he going to be allowed to go on a mission any time soon if he kept his attitude up.

In hindsight though, Tala should have known this would be Kiril's next big blunder. The boy just loved doing the opposite of whatever he said and now was no different.

"Adrien's not answering." Bastion murmured softly, breaking him out of his thoughts. He sighed heavily.

"I doubt he would..."

"Sir, if you don't mind me asking? Why the rush? He'll be back like before won't he?"

"Tell me, what do you know about the Donahue case?" The redhead asked as he glanced towards the nineteen year old. The boy shrugged.

"It's a Class A case that we're not allowed to look at, I didn't bother with the details since my clearance is only B." It was an answer that anyone of his class should have said. An answer that seemingly purposefully alluded Kiril every chance he got. The Commander actually managed a smile.

"Thank you." He said softly as he tried to figure out what he was going to say next. "The Donahue case is something that the Officers and their Corps are responsible for for a reason..." The man started as he shook his head. "Riche Donahue is a former guard at the Abbey."

Bastion reeled back in shock, his eyes widening as he stared at his superior with wide eyes. He had only been seven or eight when the Abbey had fallen, but he'd been more then old enough to remember the majority of the horrors that place had maintained. Guards at the Abbey were feared still by most boys...and if this case was focused on one, it made sense that the younger generation weren't allowed on it.

There could be no freezes on a mission. If you were going to go on a mission, you went on it and you didn't look back. There was no time to hesitate, and an Abbey guard...that would make most everyone hesitate.

"He's been murdering people across the coast for a while now, but that's not the real reason it got passed to our division. It was passed to my people because the victims have all been related in some way shape or form towards the Abbey itself. Past doctors and their relatives for instance. The pattern seems like a random serial killing, but it's not, it's methodical. He's erasing data and plans. I'm sure you remember in particular what Boris' main plan was don't you?" Tala looked straight at the younger man who nodded grimly.

"Kiril as acting heir to the world."

"A title no one really took away from him. In the past, _A _Class and _S _Class cases have all been about guards, and would it surprise you that in each case they ask about their Prince of the World?" The teen shook his head. It wouldn't surprise him at all. "I got a call from Boone down at HQ. He gave the Donahue case out. Any guesses on who took it when they lied about permission?"

"Kiril and his tag along."

"Adrien, don't call him a tag along, but yes...they pulled the case, and like an idiot Boone gave them the details. Just not everything because they don't have the clearance. Which is why they shouldn't have been requesting the case in the first place, and why Boone should have known better then to give it to them!" The problems between the Officers and Boone were too many to count and Tala hated the fact that he had to deal with the bastard on a regular basis. he doubted the man even checked for the boys' clearance. He could all to well see the man thinking it would be fun to just give it to the boys and see what happened.

"I'll go back to their dorm and collect all the research they may have collected and bring it back to Mikhail Hall."

"Alright." He nodded to the boy.

"Would you like me to call your Corps together?"

Corps to the F-Five Officers were something extremely special. Consisting of mostly Maims and the generation under them, the Corps were individualized to each Officer's tastes. Bryan's for instance consisted of mostly brawlers who could fight and shoot extremely well. Spencer was more of tactical entry, and Tala's leaned towards the more diverse mix of them all. Kai too had a Corps, but his was the graduated Corps that Anna had set up. It consisted of hackers and business men who would always get the job done. They were extremely important, and the only ones who received clearance for A Class missions.

Missions were broken into various statuses. S Class was they highest status available and only the Officers took those assignments. They were regarded as high risk and heavy loss potential. An assassination mission in other words. A Class was slightly less risk and not entirely as deadly, criminals who could be killed or brought in were commonly found in this class. B Class, clearly, was less risk then A Class and were tricky missions but not completely hard. C Class were not hard at all and usually included surveillance and intel. Finally D Class, which was really thrown in because Kiril complained one day and begged for a mission and so Tala had given him one: coffee run.

Corps and missions went hand in hand, and there were rules and regulations that went on each person who applied for a mission. The fact that the two teens had slid by and broken the chain of command by lying to the desk help and those in charge when the Officers were absent had put not only them, but everyone else at risk too because a rescue party was now needed to be put together.

"No, the Officers and I will deal with this. Those papers would be helpful though."

Bastion nodded and ran off, and Tala sighed heavily as he closed his eyes and tried to breathe. He had already lost one important person in his life...he didn't want to lose another. No matter how much trouble that boy was going to be in when they got home!

* * *

Kiril blinked open his eyes. His head was pounding and it took him a few moments to actually focus to be able to see the world around him. After a long while, he managed to start glancing around to see where he was and what was going on.

His hands were tied tightly behind his back around a pole, and his feet were tied as well. He wasn't going to be able to make much of an escape like that, and he cursed when he noticed his belt pouch was removed and out of reach. His gun was gone and its holster as well.

Across from him though, he was delighted to see that Adrien was laying there, his chest rising and falling and his fingers twitched to show he was still alive. He let out a sigh of relief at the sight. At least they were still alive. That was the best he could say for the moment though.

Glancing to the right he saw a shrine of some sort, candles burning at a fast pace, wax slipping onto the floor. There were skulls and bones and various other things sitting on the desk of the shrine. Organs floating in jars made up the rest of the collection, and the teen felt like he was going to be sick. In their research they'd found that Donahue's victims were always missing a part of their bodies, but to actually see all the dismembered parts made the teen feel like he was going to throw up.

Adrien was moving now though, and he called the teen's name hurriedly, wanting to know if the boy was alright. Slightly younger, and far weaker, he knew it probably wasn't the best thing in the world to take the boy with him whenever he was challenging his brother, but doing it alone seemed far scarier. He knew his brother wasn't going to ever blame Adrien for tagging along, although occasionally depending on what they did, the brunette did get punished slightly as well.

The younger teen coughed and shook his head, blinking around him in confusion as he tried to figure out what had happened. He moaned slightly in pain, grabbing onto his right arm and cradling it too his chest. He wasn't tied up...why wasn't he tied up?

"Adrien?" The older teen whispered, staring at his friend worriedly. Green eyes blinked slightly and looked up to meet his muddy brown ones.

"Kiril?" He mumbled, his breath sounding oddly ragged as he held his arm close to his body. "Where...are we..." He asked, his words slurring ever so slightly, and the bound teen realized belatedly that his friend was concussed.

"You fell in a hole." The teen started, watching his friend's awkward movements as the teen looked around him blearily.

"I...did?" He coughed slightly, his breathing weak and strained. His good hand moved and touched his chest, gasping slightly.

"Adrien?" Kiril's eyes widened with horror. Now was not the time for an asthma attack. "Adrien can you untie me?" He asked as he struggled with his bonds. The teen choked on the air, but looked up at him with a slight nod.

"O...kay..." He struggled to push himself to his feet, gasping and choking the whole way. He barely managed to do it before he crashed back onto his knees, coughing feebly and crying out when his broken arm smashed once more against the ground. Still, the boy was nothing if not stubbornly determined. Seeing as how he could barely walk, he forced himself to crawl towards his companion. Broken arm be damned.

His shaking fingers touched the ropes around the boy's wrist and just as he started to try to tug them free a large hand grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and threw him across the floor. He yelled once more, but that only took his breath away even more, and at this point he couldn't even push himself up. He was gasping and choking for breath, wheezing as he tried to breath and sweating as his lungs struggled to keep up with his efforts. Then the wheezing stopped and he could only struggle there blankly as barely any air was able to get through to his lungs.

"Adrien!" Kiril screamed, tugging against his bonds. His friend was in desperate need of help, and the ropes around him were not making it any easier to assist. Donahue was there now, and he seemed to enjoy watching the brunette writhe on the floor. "Can't you see he needs help you bastard?!" The healthy boy shouted as he kicked out to get at the man. It was awkward and easily avoided, but it drew the man's attention to him now.

"Oh I can see that...tell me little Kiril, was it your idea to come down here...or his?" The man asked as he leaned over the boy.

Shaking from fright all of a sudden, the teen tried to move away, and obviously failed. He blinked up at the man, suddenly feeling like he was in over his head. He could fight better then half the population of Russia when it was fair, but when he was bound to a post and his friend was suffering from an asthma attack, he couldn't do anything. _Think, think! What would Luka do? _

"How do you know my name?" Redirection. That was the key. Gotta keep them off guard at all times. The man just laughed and ruffled his hair.

"Everyone knows your name, _Prince _Kiril." Brown eyes darkened as he glowered up at the man, realization sinking in with that one word.

"You were a Guard at the Abbey." He hissed, his words coming out brave even though his body was all but shaking from fear. Not all that far away, Adrien was sobbing through the attack, his body struggling to move forward to save his friend, but being unable to do anything.

"Yes...yes I was..." The man took a few steps back and walked towards the discarded pouch he'd removed earlier. He opened it and pulled out Kiril's badge for the ISA. "So...you and all your _Fortune Five-hundred_ brothers went and joined that fucked up unit that's responsible for your father's death huh?!" The man spun about, striking the teen's face hard. He hissed, but didn't say anything. "What's wrong with you?! What's wrong with you?! You were given the world! You would have been the ruler of the world and we all would have supported you and brought this world into the true peace that it deserves. Instead you went off with that disgusting traitor and sent your father to jail! Lord Balkov is DEAD because of _you_."

"Don't you dare call him disgusting, Mikhail was a hero!" Kiril shouted, ignoring the rest of the man's speech. He was struck once more across the face and then kicked in the ribs.

"That bastard is no more then maggot food now." Donahue hissed, his eyes glowing with a hated aura.

"He saved my life from that world!"

"That world was yours for the taking!"

"I didn't want to rule it!"

"You're a fool!" The man pulled a gun out of nowhere and cocked it before aiming it straight at Kiril and firing it. It didn't connect. Appearing like a ghost, Adrien had tackled the man to the ground, sending the gun shot flying out in the other direction. The Guard howled and struggled against the teen who sent a furious strike towards his throat – intent on ending this while he was still fueled with the adrenaline to do so. He didn't have the strength, still choking on air that wouldn't come the boy had reacted on pure emotion and instinct to save his friend's life. Now though, his body was barely capable of staying upright. When he threw his strike it was caught and parried and he went shooting to the floor.

"Adrien! Adrien!" Kiril was screaming, trying to get to his friend, but it was useless.

Donahue angrily started to punch the teen in the face, again and again and again. He slammed his head on the ground over and over again. Each time the teen blinked blearily, the man punched him harder. Donahue finally moved off the teen, even with Kiril screaming for the teen's life. He didn't care. He was incensed. He retrieved his gun and smiled. Then he cocked his gun once more and fired at the barely moving teen. Slumped completely onto the ground, the boy feel eerily still. Tears streamed down the older teen's face as he stared at the body of his dearest companion. "Adrien! Adrien wake up!" He screamed louder and louder, but there was no response. Donahue was back, moving towards him with a murderous glint in his eyes. "I'm going to kill you, you bastard, I'm going to kill you!" The boy could feel blood pooling down his wrists as he fought against the ropes that held him.

In the darkness of the hideout, three men walked quietly and swiftly towards the sounds of the screaming, their hearts pounding heavily as they heard the frightened pleas of a boy they all considered family. The leader swiftly motioned too the other two to circle around and take their positions around the back while he went on ahead, and they listened quickly.

Yuri Luka Tala Valkov Ivanov didn't get mad easily...but when he did, it came out with huge displays of his power, and no one truly wanted to be the one on the losing end of that fight. Only the other Officers and Kiril seemed to manage surviving whenever the man was infuriated, and that was probably because the majority of them could last a while in an actual fight against him, and the rest were protected by a promise of protection.

He moved swiftly, and when he saw the scene - Donahue striking his little brother across the face and kicking him in ribs – he felt his blood boil. First thing's first. He knelt down beside the gentle brunette and felt for a pulse. He wasn't all too surprised that he found one. Upon investigation, the bullet had hit the teen's shoulder and nothing truly vital. He shook the boy slightly, and green eyes slowly blinked up at him. Panic set across the child's features, but the man motioned for him to remain silent.

He made a hand motion to the left and suddenly a pair of kind arms wrapped around the boy's torso, holding him gently to someone's chest. The teen looked back and blinked in awe at the sight of Kai Hiwatari – someone who rarely (if ever these days) actually went into the field. He'd always maintained that he was a retired field agent, and yet everyone knew that he had a Corps and that he was still considered and Officer. If Kai was there, then they really had fucked up royally.

"Hush love." The words were spoken so softly Adrien wasn't sure he heard them, but Kai was already starting to feel for his pulse and counting it as he struggled to breathe. An inhaler was brought to his mouth and he was forced to take in the drug. He felt something sharp in his leg and he blinked as he watched the man inject him with epinephrine. "Keep breathing, you're going to be alright, just keep trying to breathe."

Tala was moving forwards now though, their presence being blocked by Donahue's body and ignored completely by the two. He slipped a gun from his holster and aimed it straight at the man's head. He cocked it, and with that sound, silence fell over the room. Donahue fell motionless, and he turned slightly, allowing Kiril to see what was happening. Tears were streaking down his bloody and bruised face, but his brown eyes widened at the sight of his brother.

"Riche Donahue, you are under arrest for the kidnapping and brutal murder of seventeen people across the globe, as well as the assault of two officers of the law." The redhead said calmly, his eyes staring at the man coldly.

"Tala?" The man murmured in awe as he stared right back. "You..._you're _arresting _me?_"

"You do not have the right to remain silent. Keep talking and I will kill you now."

"For what?" The man hissed angrily. He would never know the answer, a bullet went straight into his brain.

"Resisting arrest." The redhead told his corpse easily enough. "Bryan, help Kai take Adrien up and contact the Med-Evac team." The ropes snapped from round Kiril's wrists, and the teen blinked, looking up to see the older man nodding and heading over towards where Kai was whispering gently into the hurting teen's ear.

"A...Adrien-" The teen whispered brokenly, barely noticing that his brother had snapped the ropes at his ankles.

"Is alive." Tala answered back curtly.

"I-I-"

"Nearly got him killed." He finished, reaching down and hoisting the teen to his feet. The boy was blinking blankly at the world around him, hardly taking note at all. "Again." Kiril flinched, looking down.

The motley crew walked through the underground in silence. Bryan helped Kai get a hold on the young teen who was nearly in shock from the day's events and carefully the heir to the business empire was carrying the boy the rest of the way up. They climbed through the shaft that the broken boy had fallen through and they made it out in time for the helicopter to see them and land for their retreival. Once Adrien was safely secured the four went to a car to drive Kiril to the hospital to be looked at as well.

All the while the teen held onto his brother's arm like it would die if he dared to release it. He was crying quietly the whole while, and perhaps it was because of that that Tala didn't drive it home like he'd intended to about how stupid the boy had been.

The doctor cleared him, saying there was no lasting damage and he'd heal up fine. Adrien wasn't as lucky. His right arm was broken in five places and the bullet in his shoulder wasn't helping things. They wanted him to stay in the hospital for a few days to check his asthma and breathing problems, and to see if there was anything they could do to reduce such massive attacks in the future.

In the end the four went back to the campus, and Tala ordered his brother to bed, telling him they'd talk in the morning. The teen was out before he even hit the pillow. Bryan positioned himself as guard at the boy's door to make sure he really wasn't going to have any more bright ideas, and Kai and Tala went back to Tala's room.

Kai got his older brother a glass of gin and tonic and he leaned against the wall as he looked down at his own drink. They stayed like that for a while before Tala finally groaned and rubbed his head to ward off the headache that was all but killing him.

"I don't know what's going on in that boy's head anymore." He muttered as he sipped the drink.

"He's probably doing it for attention." Kai suggested gently even as there was a dark undertone. He wasn't happy in the slightest.

"Why though? I pay more then enough attention to that kid."

"Yeah, but it's split a lot of the time Lu. Half you're mind is always on something else. The only time you're ever truly focused on something is when you're screaming at him. Even negative attention's better then no attention at all, you know that." How many times had Tala let himself get beat and yelled at just so he could spend time with his father?

"I'm distracted because I'm trying to find ways to help him!" The redhead hissed, as he glowered at his brother. "First A-_she_-leaves, and then that doctor has his stupid theories, I'm just trying to help!" Kai raised up a hand.

"I know that, I do. He doesn't. After...for the past few years there's been nothing but pain going on between you two. He knows what's in that letter too Luka...and after you left...he's hurting."

"It doesn't excuse what he did tonight." Blue eyes narrowed as they stared hatefully up at red which looked back impassively.

"I know it doesn't, I'm not championing him and I'm not saying he doesn't deserve to get his ass handed to him, especially with what happened to my kid. " Pure fury was unleashed on those words and Tala raised an eyebrow at the protective nature his brother was showing. Then the darkness was gone. "Adrien has and will do anything it takes to make sure that Kiril's alright. That was one lesson that was pounded into that boy's head before they left. Even if it doesn't mean anything now, Adrien isn't going to let anything happen to him, and Kiril takes advantage of that at times. He knows Adrien's too sick to do some of the things they do, he needs to get it through his head that the boy isn't going to be able to keep up with him. One day he's going to die, and we're not going to be there to help right away." Considering it was Kai who said those words, it was clear just how banged up he was about what had happened. He was miserable. He felt like he'd failed.

Tala downed the rest of his drink and opened his mouth to answer when a pleasant ringing went through the room. It was a song in French, and there was little wonder just who had been assigned that particular ring tone. Kai's face flushed slightly and he answered it quickly enough. He was speaking in French, and Tala let him continue on for a little while.

Adeline Napolean was the heir to the Napolean Dynasty that had ended with Bonaparte. It didn't really mean anything nowadays, particularly since her family didn't hold any political power, but many people in France still believed that the Napoleans should be in charge and so Adeline was considered to be a Princess by many. She even had been involved in meetings with the President and was sometimes used as an ambassador.

Kai and her had met years before when they were around Kiril and Adrien's age. Their parents had struck a deal and had decided it would be the perfect opportunity to show their unity by having Kai escort her during her Debutante Ball. They hadn't really talked much in their lessons for the ball, but as time went by a mutual friendship started forming.

Now, nearly a decade later, the two were involved in a rather slow relationship that never looked like it was going anywhere. Adeline lived with them on the campus at times, and Kai often flew out to France to stay with her, but in general the two communicated through phone conversations. For years the two had discussed marriage, the only problem was...Kai wasn't a Noble by blood and marriage to Adeline meant that they'd be breaking serious traditions. Then again, there came a time when traditions were meant to be broken. If recent events were anything to show about it. Kai and Adeline had been sneaking around for years together - despite the fact that her mother loathed the ground he walked on. Tala knew full well the extents of thier secrecy, the only thing he had to say about it: it came at the wrong time.

She was a lovely girl though, and ever since they'd been fourteen Tala had teasingly called her his sister in law. When the Abbey was falling, Adeline had saved the day by flying in over night and helping Kiril and Adrien to escape. She brought them to Livorno and stayed in Anna and Tala's home with the two children until she needed to return to bring one more boy down to stay – Alessander. The child Tyson had beaten in the Abbey and had unknowingly sent the boy to his death. The ISA agents had swooped in and saved the boy, and Adeline had whisked him off to Italy where they stayed until the Abbey had been destroyed.

Alessander was now a Corps member in Spencer's group, and he was well respected and liked. It had taken the traumatized boy a long while to overcome the fear and panic he'd experienced during the day he'd been kicked out of the Abbey, but now he was able to breathe freely and he was thriving because of it. He and he two younger boys who had stayed with the Princess in Italy loved her greatly, and whenever she came to Russia they always begged to see her. She was sweet and charming and Kai's little flower. He pampered her excessively and was always oddly shy and awkward around her. Something that was needed occasionally in Kai's hard and dark life.

Talking to Adeline always made him smile, if only a little, and now was no different. Even as he was telling her that he couldn't talk right now but he'd be home in a little bit, his face had become gentle and kind as he thought about the lovely blonde woman who was waiting for him.

"You didn't have to go." Tala told him sincerely as Kai pressed the end button on his cell phone. The man shook his head.

"I did...you and I needed to talk more." Tala's eyes filled with water as he looked at the sadness that was now creeping onto his brother's face.

"You'll be able to be with her soon you know? You've been working forever to get a branch of HE in France..."

"I know, but now never seems to be the right time. Especially with the new information coming up...are you sure you're going to be alright with everything...?" Kai asked as he looked at his friend. "This mission...it isn't going to be like any of the others."

"I know...I'm sure...I need to do this." Tala nodded. His gaze fell to his desk were there were papers marking his newest assignment...an assignment that all the Officers and their Corps were going to be working on.

There was more then one reason Tala had been so worried about Kiril that night. With this mission coming up, he couldn't have his brother running around like an idiot. This time, he wasn't going to be coming back, and he knew that as well as everyone else who was involved. If Kiril didn't get his act together, he was going to fall without his safety net – and he was going to crash and burn when he did.

"When we get in there...we still don't know how everything's going to pan out...you'll have no intel and no communication, and it's been over ten years since the last time you've used that system."

"I know...I'm still sure I can do this. I need to Kai." Blue eyes met red, and Kai nodded.

"Alright...if you're sure."

"You need to look after Kiril for me while I'm gone. Keep him out of trouble."

"You know I will Lu."

"Sacha...if I really don't come back-"

"You will...you're family's going to get back together...it's been apart for too long, and you and Kiril need to sort things out."

"I know, but if I don't-"

"I promise." Luka didn't have to continue, Kai already knew what was being asked, and it was something that never had to be asked. It was self explanatory...and it came with the job description of being an Uncle.


	9. I'll Follow You Into The Dark

**Windstar: **Thanks to all of my reviewers and readers. Especially my newest reviewer PWN3D. It means a lot to me to hear your kind words or just feedback in general. Thanks again!

This chapter is a little on the dark side...So **WARNING **there will be a very dark twist in this chapter. If you don't want to know what it is, DO NOT read this. This chapter is not going to have a happy ending.

On a secondary note: who would believe that this story is complete? The last chapter is all that's left, but I'm going to hold off on that for right now.

Currently I am working on the final story in this series. I can't post what it's about just yet because it'll spoil this story, but it is going to have a majority OC cast. It will follow a beyblade storyline though, and I can tell you that there will be a tournament in it. When all the characters that will be in the series itself have been introduced in this I'll post the summary of what's tentatively being called "One Hundred Chosens."

Disclaimer is the same as the first chapter.

And umm...please don't get too mad at me for this chapter. If it makes anyone feel better - Anna is going to have an appearance very soon.

**Chapter Eight: **

Kiril slept through the night and most of the next day, waking up at five in the evening. He blinked around his dark room for a moment before slowly pulling himself up and walking towards the door. He was surprised when he opened it and caught sight of the lilac haired falcon blader dozing slightly across from him.

"Uncle Bryan?" He murmured quietly, and instantly the man's eyes snapped open and stared at the teen.

"Hey, get back to bed." He said shortly looking at the boy.

"Huh?"

"I'm not done with my nap yet." Bryan explained easily as he pushed himself up and started walking towards the boy. "So get back in bed."

"I...How's Adrien?" He asked as he let the man lead him back into his room.

"He's doing well. Kai ran over today to check up on him. He's alright, but you need to get back in that bed and take a nap alright?"

"Where's...Bropa?" He murmured as a wave of sleep ran over him. He had just woken up and yet he felt exhausted already. Bryan gently eased the boy back to lay on the bed.

"Want me to call him for you? He's dealing with some kids at M-Hall..." The boy looked away though, his eyes refusing to meet the older man's.

"It's fine..."

"Hey buddy, come on look at me."

"I thought I was going to sleep." The boy muttered stubbornly. His back turning away from the man. Bryan frowned and reached out, tugging the boy so that he was facing him. Kiril stared up at him with muddy brown eyes, his heart on his sleeve. He wanted his brother to have been the one waiting when he woke up. Not Bryan.

"Kiril...what's gotten into you lately buddy? Why are you giving everyone a hard time?"

"Everyone's giving me a hard time." The boy snapped back, trying to roll over again. Bryan forced him still though.

"Kiril knock that shit off before I give you some more bruises to worry about." Annoyed, the teen glowered up at his so called Uncle. "Don't give me that look, you've been making Luka's life hell for the past few years, and this really has been the last straw."

"So I'm grounded to my bed from now until eternity?"

"No, you're in bed because you were pistol whipped for three hours and you need to keep your body still so it can heal."

"Then why are you playing baby sitter?!" The teen snapped, sitting up, only to be pushed down again.

"Look brat, I'm here because I'm keeping you out of trouble. If you want to piss off your brother before he leaves that's fine-"

"He's leaving again?" His voice broke as he looked up at the man in dumb horror. Tears filled his eyes. Bryan recoiled slightly as he looked at the boy.

"Yeah...he's got a mission in a few days he's got to deal with...he won't be back for a while. It's an S Class mission...no communication at all. He might not be back for months..."

"When was he planning to tell me this?!"

"When you stopped being such a prat!"

"I wish he'd just stay gone then, at least I wouldn't have to worry about whether or not I'd see him again – I'd already know!"

_God, don't say that! Don't say it, you'll regret it! I don't want to remember this. Make it stop! Make it stop right now! I don't want to remember this anymore!_

Bryan slapped the boy before he could help himself. His hand flew out on its own accord, his bright eyes darkening greatly as he bore down into the child. He was glowering hatefully at the teen, his whole body tense and rigid.

"Don't you ever say that again Kiril, don't even think it." The teen shoved back, forcing his weight against the physically stronger man. Bryan held him still though, anger playing across his face. Of course Kiril knew how prone his Uncle was to fits of anger, just as he knew that it wasn't a good idea to have said what he'd said...still, he was pissed off and he didn't want to hear another excuse.

Before either could say anything more though there was a knock at the door. Both looked up sharply and stared in slight terror at the sight of Tala standing there. He looked unimaginably weary, bags hung slightly from under his eyes which no longer sported his contacts that he usually wore and were now bespectacled – the true proof of how tired he was.

He'd injured his eyes when he'd been a child, or more accurately Boris had injured them for him, and he usually wore contacts. On rare occasions did he wear his glasses, but when he was exhausted he wore them and it was clear that now was such a case. His body was practically sagging as it tried to stay upright.

"Bryan...you can leave, go get some rest somewhere, you look dead on your feet." He said ironically as he walked into the room.

"You look worse." Bryan told him back easily, his anger fading at he looked at the man he'd long considered a younger brother.

"I'm aware, but I'll be sleeping in a little bit, I need to talk to Kiril...alone if you don't mind..." His tone suggested that even if the man did mind he would be leaving regardless. Bryan sighed and looked back at the teen before nodding slightly and slinking slowly out of the room. Kiril stared up at his brother, not sure if he should be pissed off he was leaving or grateful that he was there.

The redhead raised a hand to his head as he leaned back on the door, closing it easily enough. He looked absolutely tuckered. Kiril blinked in dumb shock, the man didn't look like he'd slept a wink since the rescue mission.

Before the teen could say anything though the man stumbled forward and invited himself to sit down on the boy's bed, kicking up his feet and laying face down on his pillow, one hand over his head as he got himself comfortable. Kiril glanced at him, raising his eyebrows at the display. This was not how their arguments usually turned out.

"You alright?" He asked after a while as he stared down at his father figure in confusion. The man glanced up at him after a while and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck, forcing him down so he could be hugged.

"When you were six years old you had a fever...A..." He choked on the name, but rallied himself together and moved on. "Anna and I stayed up all night holding you like this until we knew for sure it was going down, do you remember?" The teen blinked, not following the conversation at all. He shook his head though, he didn't remember that...and even if he had, it was during the part of his life where such things were a norm.

Anna and Tala were the perfect parents. They were so young that they understood what it meant to be a kid, and yet they were weathered and experienced in ways that put adults to shame. It wouldn't surprise him to know that when the two were together they'd done that...after Anna left there was no such event, of that he was certain.

"So why are you doing it now? I don't have a fever." He muttered as he stared at the man's chest.

"Because I wish you did have one from time to time." He boy reeled back, looking up at the man's sad and tired features. "You stopped needing me to hold your hand and take you out for ice cream and walking you to school. I acted like an idiot, and ever since then you stopped needing me." The redhead sighed and let the teen go, sitting up and rubbing his face wearily he stared at the floor. "Even if I yell at you it doesn't change anything. You act up, you cause a fuss, and I come back to yell at you. You know better then what you're doing, just like how you knew better then to bring Adrien with you on that stupid mission idea of yours. It doesn't matter if I yell at you anymore, even if I talked to you, you wouldn't care right? So what's the point...you don't have a fever and you most certainly don't need me in your life."

"What the hell are you talking about-"

"Kiril...I know after Anna, I've been a sucky parent, brother, whatever. I know you're pissed at me, but you listen to the others right? To Kai and them?"

"What the hell-"

"When I'm gone on this mission...you need to listen to them."

"What-"

"Promise me Chiro." The teen froze. Tala hadn't called him that in years. Not since he'd snapped at him that one time. Tala's blue eyes were piercing through him though. "Chiro. Promise me."

"I-I promise."

"Good boy." He reached out and ruffled the teen's hair. "When I come back...I'll take you out for ice cream and we'll be a family again alright? This will be my last mission for a while." The man stood up and started for the door. "Get some rest." He ordered easily.

"B-B-" _Bropa! _The word never came. _I wish it had. Maybe if it had...none of this would have happened. Maybe if it had everything would be alright. Maybe_..._maybe they'd still be here... or at least I wouldn't be _here.

"See ya." And he was gone. Kiril stared after him, tears welling in his eyes as he felt his heart breaking. He didn't want the man to leave, nor did he want the man to have heard him. Both had obviously happened. Tala had heard him say he didn't want him to come back anymore, and now he didn't feel like he really had to.

Feeling his heart breaking in his chest, Kiril flew from the bed and started to run for the door. He didn't expect to be momentarily weak and he found himself falling with a loud crash onto the ground. He blinked. How did he end up down here? He tried to move, but soon realized he already was. His body was spasming. He was seizing! Gasping, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he lost all consciousness. The last thing he heard was his brother's voice calling his name and then hands touching his twitching arms.

When he came to, it was three days later and he was in the hospital. Apparently his body had gone into shock and the seizure had been apart of it. Adeline was waiting for him when he woke up. He stared up at the woman who for so long he considered to be much like a mother figure to him. He'd never call her that, no, he'd learned his lesson the last time he'd tried to call someone such a thing. He'd learned good. Mothers never stuck around. Especially mothers that had bulges in their stomachs. It was their job to just leave. His mother left. Then Anna left. There was no excuse any longer. If he called Adeline something like that she too would leave.

"Hey buddy." She said when she saw him blinking up at her. It was then that he noticed that Adrien was curled up in the chair next to her. He bit his lip feeling extremely guilty now.

He always knew that Adrien had some weird complex when it came to him. No matter what it was Adrien was with him on everything. He was his guardian and protector when it came to anything in life, and in all honesty, Kiril had used it to his advantage more times then not. As a child he'd enjoyed seeing how far he could push the boy. He'd tell him to do things, and then snicker when it had happened.

Kiril was a down right bully as a child, and Adrien had let him get away with it. If someone asked, he was certain the brunette wouldn't quite know what to say as to why he did what he did. The child just always listened. He didn't think much for himself, and he didn't bother with details. To him, Kiril's word was law and that was all he needed to know.

Of course the Officers had tried to grow him out of it, tried to keep the two separated for long periods of time so Adrien could find his own place in life, but the brunette never stuck to it. He only became more shy and withdrawn then he was before. Now though, now he was completely and totally dependent on Kiril's safety to the point where it was suicidal sometimes.

No one could explain the strange dependency. Adrien would literally throw himself in front of a gun if it meant saving Kiril's life. Like before...in the underground lair of Donahue. Kiril snapped his eyes shut. He knew that Adrien probably had saved his life, but at what expense? He'd been shot and beaten...was that really worth it to him? Was it really worth the game to see how far the brunette would go?

If that was the case, then screw it, he didn't care anymore. Adrien needed to start thinking on his own and he needed to stop being so dependent on him. He needed to stay away. He just needed to go away before _he _left too. Left like his mother, left like his father, left like Anna, and now left like Tala. Everyone left. Adrien would too one day. Only maybe he'd leave because he was saving his worthless life once more.

"You alright buddy?" Adeline asked as she walked towards him. She placed a hand tenderly on his forehead and he looked up at her.

"Where's my brother?" He asked softly, staring at her with wide eyes. She bit her lip.

"He's on a mission Kiril."

"He left me here?" He whispered, his voice low and quiet as he looked away. Her fingers traced through his hair.

"He stayed every minute of every hour until he had to leave Kiril...he wrote you a note." She offered the paper to him and anger welled in his chest. He grabbed it and ripped it up, hating his brother for thinking a paper would suffice. It wouldn't. It wouldn't at all. Adeline didn't say anything, but she did sigh and walk towards Adrien. "The doctors want you to stay the night after you woke up for observation. I'm going to bring Adrien home...he's going to make himself sick if he stays here like this. He too has barely left your side since you arrived." She looked at him for a moment and he refused to feel guilty.

"Leave him there." He ordered. She frowned.

"Kiril, I'm not going to just leave him, he's going to be sick-"

"I said leave him, or did you not hear me the first time?" He barked, ordering her like she was some simpleton or maid. A slap echoed across the room (what was it with people and slapping him lately!?) and he grimaced as he stared up at the man who was glaring down at him. Kai.

"You're neither her boss nor her master and you will not disrespect _any _woman that way do I make myself clear, boy?" He ordered, his voice low and commanding.

"_Any_ woman, or just the ones you sleep with?" Kai glowered and grabbed the boy by the shirt pulling him upright so they were staring into each others eyes.

"What the hell is your problem you little pip squeak? Because you're taking your issues out on all the wrong people." Kiril growled low in his throat.

"I'll wake him up if you keep at it, I thought the point was to not make him sick." He threatened, eyes glancing over towards Adrien. Once more he was using the teen for his own use. Once more he was condemning the boy simply because he could. Kai clenched his teeth, knowing he'd been had. Kai wasn't going to risk Adrien's health just to soothe his ire. He loved the boy too much for that.

While Kiril had been in the hospital, Adrien had stayed up every night for three days straight, not daring to sleep a wink. Finally, Tala had pulled the exhausted child into his arms and told him that he'd be no use to Kiril (if there was ever any need to protect the boy) if he was passing out from exhaustion. Adrien had agreed to sleeping only if he could be in the same room and someone was there at all times to keep an eye on the boy in case something did happen. Tala had agreed and had gone to arrange it, Adeline agreeing to stay there.

The redhead only left the hospital a few hours ago in truth, he'd been there as long as he could have been, but then he'd left. He'd needed to leave. This mission would be his last. He needed to see it done.

Kai though, Kai knew the extent of Adrien's exhaustion, and having the fourteen year old become hospitalized himself after he'd just been released because Kiril thought this was some sort of game was enough to make his blood boil. Kiril had stopped being the pleasant and good natured boy years ago, and ever since Anna had left, he'd become a rather egotistical whiny brat who liked moving people around like pawns.

In short: he was pissing Kai off.

"You wake that boy up, and I can promise you I will make sure that you never see him again." He hissed as he glared deep into Kiril's brown eyes. The boy flinched at the words. Like him, Kai was a master at pushing buttons. He knew what to say to make the boy be quiet.

"Kai!" Adeline scolded as she looked at the stricken face the boy had made. Kai didn't care though. He shoved the kid back on the bed and walked over towards Adrien. He slowly slipped his arms under the boy's legs and head and lifted him up off the chair.

It was a true testament on how totally beat the boy was. He didn't even move. He just lay there, sleeping soundly as the man carried him from the room without saying another word. Kiril sat there, his eyes filled with tears as he felt himself go rigid. His Uncle hadn't pulled any punches on that one. The man had struck hard and fast and had called his bluff early on. There would be nothing Kiril could do about it too. If Kai wanted to, Adrien would disappear into the wind and they would never see each other again. Just another person who left him.

Adeline sat by his side as tears welled in his eyes. She pulled him into a hug and let him cry bitterly into her chest. In his lap were the fallen remains of the letter that Tala had written to him. He'd destroyed it in a moment of haste, but now he wanted to know what the man had said...he wanted to know what his last words were to him. He shuddered. That made it sound like he was going to die...he wasn't going to die. It was just another mission that's all. Just another ordinary mission.

He took all the pieces in his lap and he held them in his hands, wondering if he'd ever be able to put it all back together again. He didn't know. Probably not.

"He's going too, you know..." Kiril looked up and stared at Adeline who was looking back at him sadly. "He's going on a mission too. I don't know what for, I think back up to Luka or something of that nature...Bryan and Spencer and their corps are going too." Kiril frowned.

"What are they all leaving for?" He asked curiously.

"I'm not sure. Kai wouldn't tell me." She sighed and sat on the edge of his bed. "Now...why don't we try to put this back together?" she asked as she motioned towards the paper. He looked at her with soulful eyes.

"Yes please."

* * *

He was released from the hospital the next day, and Adeline took the liberty of driving him over to the campus. He wasn't well received when he got there, but it was a warmer welcome then he'd really expected. Adeline told him that Adrien was staying at the infirmary because the boy _had _gotten himself sick on top of everything else that completely made that week hell.

The students at the Abbey had heard what Kiril had done, obviously, and they weren't at all pleased with his behavior. In the end, Kiril never had put the letter back together, and so he would never find out what Tala had been trying to tell him.

"Miss, can you come play with us?" One of the youngest Abbey boys asked when he saw the pretty blonde with Kiril. She smiled at him and placed a hand on his hair.

"Maybe in a little while, I'm going to spend some time with Kiril for now alright-"

"Don't bother." The teen hissed as he shoved past her and stalked into his dorm. A hand caught him as he walked into his room. Bastion. "What the fuck do you want?" He hissed, tugging his arm free.

"I want you to stop acting like such a fucking prat. What's your problem?"

"None of your God damn business..." He hissed as he glared at him and walked over to his bed to lay down. He was still bruising and hurting pretty good from his first attempt at a mission. Then he remembered something. "What the hell are you doing here? I thought all the Corps were helping out on Tala's oh so special mission."

Even though Bastion wasn't a Corps member, he was in fact responsible for making sure that the campus was alright while everyone was away. With rounds around the school, he didn't have time to make pit stops to yell at _him _of all people.

"Tala told me to make sure you stayed out of trouble."

"Oh did he now?" The boy hissed, miffed now more then ever. Tala was being intentionally overbearing now, and he wasn't even there! Bastion scowled, and turned to leave.

"Just get your attitude under control you complete retard."

Alone in his room, Kiril found himself annoyed and tired and fed up and just all around sulky. He could hear some of the younger kids laughing outside and he knew all he had to do was look out to see Adeline playing with them. She wasn't one to let people get to her, and so after he'd stormed off she'd just gone and moved to play with the kids. It was as simple as that.

Kiril reached into his pocket and pulled out a ziplock back that contained all the pieces of the letter in it. He felt another irrational surge of anger course through him and he threw it into the garbage pail. It wouldn't do anything...it was already ripped to shreds in the first place, but it made him feel slightly better.

For the next week he stayed in his room. He came out for meals and got bullied and teased whenever he did, but he ignored it and pressed onwards. He didn't care and he was too mad and hurt to let it bother him. Though it did nothing for his disposition. He did his school work and he practiced in a dish that he had gotten for his birthday some years before.

Adrien came home after a few days, and he joined Kiril, helping him with his work where he was able and playing a video game when he wasn't needed. Still, even Adrien couldn't get Kiril to calm down. He was more and more frustrated and he was easily angered these days. His temper was always running high, and everyone was sick of it.

Finally though, he had enough and as he walked back from school one day, he stopped and glanced down the street that would take him to the ISA headquarters. Adrien was at his side, frowning slightly as he followed Kiril's gaze.

"What is it?" He asked softly, looking at the boy.

"Come on, we're going to HQ." He muttered, and sighing in exasperation, Adrien followed. The walk wasn't a long one, and they made it there without any real issues. They walked through the front doors and started towards the stairs that they knew would lead to the office spaces and the like.

It didn't take much time to get up there, and it took even less to get to Tala's office. It was empty, naturally, but it showed all the neatness and organization that Tala had prided himself on. Everything was perfectly safe and secure.

It wouldn't stop Kiril from being able to break in though. The boy moved forward when he got to the office and drew the blinds to the other offices so no one would see them. Then he moved over to Tala's desk and sat down. He turned on the computer and waited for it to start up.

"What are you doing?" Adrien asked, looking at him sternly. His arm was hung in a sling and he was still a bit peaky from the illness, but he still could muster that look.

"I'm finding out what mission he's on." He replied simply. The password screen came up and quickly Kiril typed in the code that he knew his brother used.

"How'd you know he used that?"

"I've seen him type it in before."

Kiril started to run through various files, starting with the last date modified. He frowned.

According to this, the mission was about that drug lord that had sold Marcus those drugs all those years ago. _This _was the dangerous mission that everyone was on edge about and all the Corps had been called over to help? He started to read through the file, growing more and more confused as he did so.

The Temple of Fate was a new religious cult of a kind that was forming in Saudi Arabia. With strong ties towards Islam and therefore (by default) Christianity, many people were finding themselves being drawn into the Temple. Located in Mecca, people would come from all over the world to pray and to give homage to the Temple.

The main thoughts of the cult were that there was going to be a reckoning and that some day soon there would be an upheaval that would turn about the leadership of the world. The just would be the only that survive and the rest of humanity who were unworthy and tainted would be killed. Blood was given to the Temple as an oath that would bring protection to the sworn in, and once the blood was given, a special drug was provided in order to keep people in the system.

The drug was supposed to be one that would mark them as the Children of Faith, and when the judgment day came the drug would save their lives, and mark them as those sworn. The drug itself was a powerful opiate, an off shoot of _Diacetylmorphine _or as it was more commonly known – heroin. It was a completely pure and completely lethal drug that _would _kill if it was used too much.

It was the same drug that killed Marcus years before.

"What's the point?" Kiril muttered. He didn't understand what was so special about this case at all. Sure everyone had been upset when Marcus had died, but to claim it was an S Level case was stupid. It was just about some drugs. He pulled up a few pages and frowned as he looked at it. Glancing up at Adrien, who would probably know more about what he was looking at, he pointed to the screen. "Why is it, if it's an S level case, and he's in Spencer's corps, that Alessander is put down as Tala's second?

The twenty three year old brunette's ID number and picture were posted on the case file, and just as Kiril had stated: it didn't make sense. S Class missions were for Officers only. As good as Alessander was, he wasn't an officer. He was a Corps member. Adrien shrugged.

"I don't know. I've seen the two together more often then not recently though. They've always been working on something on their computers. I don't know why though."

Alessander's placement in Spencer's Corps was an odd one. In all honesty, he would have done better in Tala's group. The young man was a jack of many trades and due to his broad span of skills he'd be better placed in Tala's group. Still, Tala and Xander had discussed it and it was clear that he was closer with Spencer then Tala. The Commander signed the paperwork and off the brunette had gone, working for Spencer despite his talents.

The fact that he was listened as _Tala's _second was just more confusing.

Voices were shouting in the hallway, and the two teens looked up quickly, fear filtering into their hearts. Kiril quickly started to close down all the files and turn the computer off. He was done anyway. Before he did a screen popped up on the monitor declaring pointedly:

_You are so grounded when I get home Kiril. _The boy growled under his breath. How did he always know?

"What's going on?" Hold up, that sounded oddly like Terry; one of Kai's Corps members...why was he here if all the Corps members were on assignment with their Officers? Kiril frowned as he inched closer to the closed door that was all that was keeping him from seeing what was happening.

"There were shots fired in the warehouse they were in, there's a huge firefight going on now. Some of the cameras have been hacked so that we're not getting anything and we need to fix that now. All we have are the Ret-view and the vest cam."

Kiril frowned. Ret-view or Retinal-view was the part of the LXCom in Tala's head that would allow someone to literally see what he was seeing. Shots fired? What the hell did that mean. Where was this warehouse in the first place? He waited until the footsteps hurried off and then he threw open the door.

"Wait! Perhaps we shouldn't-"

Kiril was far passed waiting through, and he ignored Adrien completely as he followed the two through the twisted halls of the ISA until they got to a room that was used for crises. Kiril moved closer, and pushed open the door slightly, his eyes widening at what he saw.

Tala was running, and there were bullets everywhere. One of his eyes was foggy...too foggy in fact...had he lost a contact? The most astounding thing of it all though...Kai was standing there barking orders to the various Corps members. He had a headset on and occasionally he'd be talking to Tala who's voice was echoing through the room. Alessander was unconscious, one arm draped over Tala's shoulders as the older man dragged him along.

Hot anger flooded through Kiril's body as he heard his brother's startled gap and involuntary scream of pain. He was running down a flight of stairs, and suddenly his hand came into focus, had it been pressed up against something? It was covered in blood.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Kai whipped around at his so called nephew's voice, and stared at him.

"Kiril?!" Everyone had frozen and glanced back as the teenager stared at them all in horror.

"You're supposed to be backing him up!" He shouted, pointing to the screen before them where three men fell dead to his brother's sharp and precise gun shots.

"Kiril?" Tala asked as he dove for cover behind a few boxes. Alessander was just being dragged forcefully at this point, there was little else that could be done. Tala was breathing hard, but at least he could still move, Xander wasn't as lucky. "Kiril I need you to leave the room." He said forcefully, trying hard to send orders and seem threatening while he was so obviously distracted. Kai was about to second that when suddenly there was a huge noise.

All eyes went to the screen now which clearly showed that some sort of explosion had occurred. Tala flew through the air before coming to a sickening, cracking halt against a wall of some kind. He lay on the ground completely motionless, eyes staring out in front of him, but it was doubtful he was even conscious.

"Tala? Tala do you copy? Tala?" Kai was talking fast, ordering people to get surveillance on the room and a few moments later it appeared. The damage was horrible. Blood was soaking down the redhead's face, the damage clear despite how it seemed to blend in with his hair. His arm was burned and his clothes were soaked in blood from where shrapnel had flown into him.

"Oh dear God..." someone whispered as they stared at their Commander's body in horror.

"Tala?" Kai whispered. Someone had pulled up the LXCom's information on the board and the true extent to the man's damaged body became clear. The muscles in his back were torn and frayed, splitting in the same place he'd injured it during that plane crash. Because of it the signals he was trying to send his body weren't responding. He couldn't move.

"Fuck." His voice echoed through the room. He was blinking now, apparently someone had managed to get him to regain consciousness.

"Tala, do you copy?" Everyone was ignoring Kiril and Adrien now. They didn't have time to have a family dispute, there were two men in that building, and they knew one of them was already down for the count.

"Shit..." The man hissed, blinking slowly and wearily as he tried to move. "Mm copy...mm...stuck..." He mumbled at long last. His words were slurred, and it was easy to tell he was concussed.

"Try moving anything, anything at all."

"B...big...toe...right foo...wiggled..." He slurred even as he blinked slowly and drowsily. It appeared that the only thing keeping him conscious was the fact that he was forced to be so.

"That's great news. Now get the one next to it...and try the whole damn leg while you're at it."

"Naw workin..."

"T-Tala?" Kiril was shaking slightly as he stared at his brother's body on the screen.

"S'at m' brover?" Someone shouted and the ret-view looked awkwardly at the ground. Then it moved suddenly with a hiss of pain. "Mm...stuck..." He repeated, not really understanding what was going on.

"Tala, you've got to get moving, you can't stay still or you're going to get killed."

"Killed...?" His left leg shifted and his fingers twitched. Coughing feebly he tried to push himself up. It seemed to take a monumental effort, shaking and twitching the whole way up he just managed to get onto the wall when another explosion hit. He was thrown a few feet to the right, and now he really wouldn't be able to get up anymore. He was completely spent.

Laying on his stomach, spread eagled on the floor, he was completely helpless, and there really wasn't anything they could do. His back was too damaged to respond. Blood oozed from him and Kiril stared at the scene, completely and totally horrified by what he was seeing. He was bearing witness to his brother's death.

"Adrien, take Kiril out of here." Kai whispered softly, not looking back. His eyes were locked on the scene before them.

Words were appearing on the bottom of the computer they were all looking at. Even if he couldn't bring himself to physically talk, he was still aware of his surroundings.

_Go now Kiril. _

"No!" The boy shouted stepping forwards into the room more even though he knew it wouldn't do anything. The cameras were picking up movement. People were running towards where Tala was, and they weren't from their side.

_Kiril...I meant what I said in that letter...so go. I'll be alright..._ It was a lie. It was a complete lie.

"I didn't read it!" He shouted, tears forming in his eyes. "I tore it up, so you have to come back and tell me what it said!"

There was silence from him though. He was blinking sluggishly, and anyone could tell he was close to loosing focus one more time.

"Adrien, take Kiril away now." Kai ordered again, turning to look at the brunette. He wasn't moving.

_Kiril I can't look after you all the time...you need to start living by yourself..._

"No! I don't want to, I don't want to! I'll be good I promise! I'll stop ignoring you, I won't talk back!" People were shifting awkwardly. This was a conversation no one ever wanted to hear. "So please! You have to come back! I didn't mean it when I said I wanted you to stay gone! I didn't! I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it! Luka!"

_I will...I...I'll always be there for you..._

People flooded the room and blearily he looked up to stare at the five armed men who ran straight towards him. He blinked, the only thing he could do really.

"Well well...if it isn't Tala Ivanov..." He glanced up at one of men and by the narrowing of the screen, it was clear he was glaring. Everyone was quiet. No one knew quite what to say. The man reached out and grabbed him by the hair, pulling him so they were face to face. "I don't believe we've met...although you seem to have met my extensive research." Blood suddenly appeared on the man's face...Tala had spat at him, his mouth filled with blood from the explosion. It didn't go over well with the man and the Commander was slapped painfully across the face. "We've already taken care of the other one..."

Kiril gasped, tears streaming down his face now at the words. Xander was dead?

"Adrien, if you don't get him out you'll only hurt him worse, get him out now!" Kai snapped, and the brunette flew forwards, good hand grabbing Kiril and forcing him back, but the older teen pulled free. With one broken arm the younger boy had not a hope in the world of keeping a hold on him. Kiril was going to see it done.

The man aimed a gun straight at Tala's head, and there was a bang, and all the camera feeds died just like that.

"What happened?" Kai whispered as he stared at the black screens. "What the fuck just happened."

"Sir...there...there was back hack just a moment before...the shot...Tala blocked all video surveillance..." Terry whispered, looking away. No one knew what to say. Tala Ivanov was dead.

"No! No!" Kiril shot forwards but Kai caught him around the waist and started to push him back, push him towards the door. "No!"

"Spencer, take the boys outside." Kai grit out through clenched teeth. The man nodded and did so. Kiril was crying terribly, but tears were also falling from Spencer's eyes. Kai looked at his computer, his heart heavy. He typed only three words.

_Are you there?_

Tala wasn't supposed to die. He was supposed to be captured.

"_They need either you or I because we're the only ones that can pilot the system completely right? So they _can't _kill us." _He'd reasoned, and Kai believed him because it was the truth. They were the only ones who could use the system to it's ultimate point.

It was in their blood.

The idea was that he was going to go in, get caught, and he'd be in their base. If their theory was correct. Anna would be there...they'd be able to get her and put an end to this horror story once and for all.

Still...the minutes ticked on. No one said anything. No one said a word. They all knew what was supposed to happen. They all knew what was supposed to occur...but the redhead wasn't answering, and Xander's com was out. Neither were answering.

Nothing responded. Nothing answered. Only then did he allow his grief to show. Only then did he cry.

Only then did he convince himself truly and totally...that his brother was dead.


	10. Aftermath

**Windstar: **This chapter is the shortest chapter yet. I do have an excuse though: if I had posted the entire thing today, it'd be well over twenty pages and things wouldn't be spaced out enough or focused appropriately. This chapter has a much different feel from the next chapter after this and combining the two would make things less potent. I'm so sorry, but I'll update a tad sooner because of it. How about...sunday? Maybe even a little earlier depending on how many people have read it. Thanks to my wonderful reviewers as always, and I'm sorry to say that there isn't going to be much closure on the Tala death thing for a while.

Disclaimer: Same as always.

**Chapter Nine: **

"What the fuck kind of intel was that, Boone?" Kai shouted as he smashed his hand down on the man's desk. After Tristen Michaels had died years before, the asshole ISA agent from America, Logan Boone, had been sent to fill in his shoes. Tala hated the man with a passion, and in all honesty, Kai didn't like him any more.

As children he'd purposefully sent him and Anna into a deathtrap, and working with the man after that had been something of a disaster. It was another reason why Kai maintained that he was retired from the ISA, even if he still did missions for them from time to time. It was always an excuse "I'm an Officer of F-Fives" this or "I'm just backing up the others." He wasn't technically retired, but he wasn't all that active of an agent.

Still, he was pissed off now, and Boone was the man who'd sent all the information on their sting to his office. The fifty-something man raised his brows at the young Officer. Clearly he wasn't impressed.

"Is there a reason why you stormed into my office acting like a toddler, or do I have to guess?"

"Tala's dead!" The man's jaw dared to drop for a brief moment before he managed to catch himself.

"I'm sorry to hear that, now would you like to tell me how this happened or are you just going to stand there and blame me for things that I had no control over."

"You fucking gave us shit intel that's what! The drug lords you sent him after weren't Temple of Fate you complete ass!" The man's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Excuse me?"

"They were run of the mill small fries. They killed him without even thinking about it! You sold us out!" His fist came down again, and wood splintered under the strike.

Outside the office, Boone knew that there were at least two dozen people who were all wanting his blood. No one messed with the leader of the Fortune Five Hundreds and expected to get away with it lightly. He even remembered seeing something about Kiril being in the building. If that was the case then he knew that the child was probably somewhere in a closet hyperventilating. He wondered vaguely what the boy's last words were to his brother. He could bet that they weren't very nice.

"I did not sell you all to anyone-"

"You gave us the wrong intelligence. I have the tapes! They knew who he was! They said his name! They were talking about Xander! You sold my men to those bastards and you let them die for your stupid grudge!"

Boone probably liked Tala less then Kai, and that was saying something because he hated Kai. Tala though was a challenging little bastard who had a tendency to rally the hearts of everyone around him just by batting his pretty blues at them. It made the man sick at times to think that Tala was in charge of at least five hundred people that would literally kill for him. He didn't deserve that type of power or respect and he made it no secret just how much he didn't get along with the man.

"I would never purposefully send two agents into the field expecting them to die-"

"Then how the hell did they know who he was?!" Kai shouted, fury flashing through his eyes.

"Has it been confirmed that he's dead yet?" Boone hissed as he stared at the (in his opinion) _annoying _second in command.

"We haven't found a body." Kai hissed. "We didn't have anyone else on the ground. We were all here – like you _told _us to be!" He was visibly shaking with rage. He was so close to just reaching over across the desk and strangling the man for all he was worth.

"Then find his body. I'm putting you and your men on this, go and find me a body and we'll cover it from there-"

"You fucking sold us out and now you want us to go in there and have it happen again!?"

"I didn't sell you out, I gave you the information as soon as it came to me. If there was a problem it was on your end. Now get out of my office before I have you forcibly removed _Commander _Hiwatari." Being called by Tala's title was the last straw. Even if that's what he technically was now that his brother was no longer around, Kai refused to accept it. He punched out faster then the man could blink and he flew from his chair onto the ground. "Get out of my office. _Now._" Boone growled, eyes flashing with hatred.

"If I ever confirm...what I've just said...I'm going to kill you you son of a bitch." Kai hissed, and with that he turned and walked away, anger coursing through his body as he did so.

He opened the door and Boone was just able to see the tear stained face of Kiril Ivanov. The boy was looking up at his Uncle with huge eyes, as though begging for what he'd heard to be a lie. Begging that the ISA hadn't betrayed Tala after all these years and gotten him killed. Begging that his brother was still there with him.

"I'm so sorry Kiril..." Kai whispered, one hand cupping behind the boy's head as he drew him to his chest. The boy was motionless for a while. His eyes stared unseeingly out in front of him, and his arms hung limply at his side. Adrien was not to far behind him, standing with Spencer who looked lost.

Tala would be the first of their group to die...he would be the first of their team to loose their life. It was heartbreaking. It was so heartbreaking.

Kiril was in a daze. He had fought with Tala for the past few years because Tala would always come back to yell at him whenever he did wrong. Tala would always be there to scold him. He hadn't fought with him, truly, to aggravate the man, it was just that it seemed to be the only way he could make the man come home from a mission. He just wanted to see him...he wanted to see him because in his heart he was terrified for a day like today.

A day where he would be left behind once more...and everyone would forget about him. He felt himself start to shake terribly. He felt his body start to tremble badly. He vaguely heard someone call his name, but he didn't care. He was past caring. No one was really there anymore...no one was there. Everyone had left. Left with Anna. Left with Tala. Left and forgotten about him. Maybe he should just leave too. It was like he'd always said...death was much better then living on earth. At least the dead didn't have to worry about being left alone. They would always be with the ones they loved. They'd be in heaven where no one forgot about you. So why even bother living?

Kai felt the boy in his arms fall still suddenly, and it was only because of years of training that he'd managed to catch him as he started to go slack. Blank eyes stared at the world, and shallow breathing was all that met him when he called for him. His heart was dangerously slow and his skin was deathly pale.

"Someone call an ambulance!" He shouted, looking up at the dozens of on lookers. Ten people moved at the same time, all of them going to do so. Adrien crashed to his knees, terror blatant on his face as he stared at his friend who had suddenly just collapsed. He looked up at Kai with such fear in his eyes, but he didn't have time to wallow. Spencer pulled him back and whipped him around, forcing him to meet his eyes.

"Listen to me Adrien. You need to listen you hear?" The boy nodded, he didn't have a choice. "Kiril's going to be lost and confused for a while and I know you think that your job is to protect him and make sure he's doing alright, but you can't give him whatever he wants and you can't make him better by harming yourself." Spencer's eyes were still misty and there was chaos everywhere as people tried to figure out what they should be doing. "He's going to try to push you away, he's going to tell you to do things that I know you _know _better then to do. You can't listen to him. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"I...I'm not allowed to-"

"Listen to me!" Spencer shook the teen roughly. "You turn fifteen next week don't you?" The boy nodded, frowning at the change in topics. "Well at fifteen years old you should know better then to let Kiril get away with murder. Do not let him murder you to heal his heart. You have a will, and if you truly want to help that boy you need to learn when to disobey."

"He'll hate me if I-"

"He's not going to hate you. You're too persistent to let him hate you. You need to do this Adrien. He's lost too much...and he's scared to lose more. Don't let him do it. Don't let him lose everything." The boy nodded slowly.

He could hear sirens, and Kai was picking the boy up, running down the stairs because he could probably run faster then it took the elevator to meet them and descend. Adrien wanted to go too, but Spencer held him still. He forced the boy to meet his eyes.

"Sir?"

"Learn to say no." He commanded as he looked at him. "We're not going to be here forever." Adrien felt his blood freeze.

"Sir...are you going to...go after who killed...them?" He asked slowly, looking at the man with all the concern in the world. The man took a deep breath and nodded.

"I know I speak for all of us...we're in this for the long run. Whatever the case may be, whichever way the river flows, we're on this path and we're taking it. Kai isn't going to be able to forgive Boone...and I doubt Bryan or I will either."

"What about...Ian?"

"Ian's been away from this life for so long I'm surprised he even bothers to write a Christmas Card." It was a cold thing to say, but it was the truth. Ian had all but vanished once he'd gotten his shiny new family. Adrien couldn't even remember what the man looked like anymore. "He'll be upset, no doubt about it...but in all honesty I don't give a shit at the moment. He's not going to want to come back into this."

"But he's your best friend-"

"Was, Adrien, he _was _our best friend. You can't really consider someone your friend when you haven't seen or heard from them in over two years."

"How do you know he's alright? Maybe something happened?"

"We'd know if something happend to the Nose. We keep track of our men." He answered cryptically. Then he centered himself. "Adrien, when we leave...our Corps are going to want to come with us. There's going to be a huge divide in the F-Fives. Tala kept everyone together because everyone looked up to him. What we're doing though...it isn't going to be for everyone's better. It's going to just make _us _feel good later."

"I don't understand..."

"Some of the F-Fives truly believe in the ISA and the BBASS. They would do anything for them. That's who they've sworn their loyalty too. Others are loyal to the F-Fives themselves. If we leave, it won't be for the help of the ISA. There's going to be a lot of fighting going on. Ideally everyone will stick together, but I don't see that happening.

"When the split occurs, you need to be there for Kiril. Keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't disappear in the chaos. If I know him...he's going to want to get his own revenge on what's going on. He won't be allowed to, so he'll do it himself."

"Sir, wouldn't it just be a good idea to _let _him do what he wants to then?" Spencer frowned.

"Are you mad? You want me to hand that child a gun tell him to shoot at the man who murdered his brother, and destroy that completely innocent slate before he has a chance to fully understand what's happening in the world around him?"

"I don't understand..."

"Tala's last wish was for Kiril not to be pulled into this world. He didn't want Kiril to have blood on his hands. It was the real reason he's been denying you all the permission to go on missions. He knows full well just how sensitive that child is, and he doesn't want to ruin his soul by having him kill someone. You honestly want me to let him do it, knowing that it would be going against Tala's wishes?" Adrien bit his lip. _No_. That wasn't what he wanted at all. "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Spencer whispered softly.

* * *

When Kiril was taken to the hospital, no one really knew what was wrong with him. They couldn't tell. As far as the medical field was concerned, he should have been completely healthy. Yet he wasn't. He'd fallen into a near catatonic state. Had they left his eyes open, he would have continued staring blankly at the world around him without ever seeing a thing.

His pulse was slow and thready, his breathing was shallow, and his brainwaves showed absolutely nothing. He wasn't thinking. He wasn't doing a thing. He was just laying there without functioning at all. He'd completely run away from reality. Kai sat at his bedside the whole while, looking out for him and waiting. The boy was completely in shock. He couldn't deal with this anymore. He honestly couldn't, and Kai truly wished that Adrien had made the boy leave when he'd first told him too...Kiril didn't need to see his brother die. He didn't need to see that.

Tala had forced them not to watch. He'd forced them to be blind to his death. Kai felt his blood turned to ice though. He felt his very body become wracked with a hatred that was unparalleled. It had been a long time since he'd hated with every fiber of his being. He did now though. Deep in the darkness of his soul he could feel the burning whispers of treachery.

He felt his heart turning to stone so quickly and so easily he wondered if it had ever been any different in the first place. Hot fury was running as his blood and as he looked at the basically catatonic boy who had lost his entire family due to misfortune, he found himself hating the world.

_Why not? _The voice whispered into his ear. _Why not just let it burn like it should have when you were sixteen? _

He didn't have an answer. It was shameful to think that after all this time he so easily let himself fall into temptation, but at the moment, he was so fulled with hatred he couldn't really think straight. Who was left that fought for that world? Korg was dead. Mikhail was dead. Michaels was dead. Tala was dead. Anna was gone. Ian was gone. Voltaire was far to old to be involved. Christopher...he hadn't talked too since well before Marcus had died. Mr. Dickenson had retired. The other Fortune Five Hundreds didn't know who or what to fight for. The other Officers...well...they were really the only ones who were left. Bryan and Spencer were the only ones left.

Where was their world that they had fought for? Where was the freedom and the happiness?

Where was _his _happiness?

Why was he always forced to be away from the thing he wanted? If he was with her he would no longer be with his family, and he refused to do what Ian did and just walk out on everyone. He refused to walk out on Adrien and Kiril...even if Kiril was being a complete ass hole. If she left her world...she would be separate from everything that she knew. She too could never truly be happy.

That wasn't what he fought so long for. This wasn't the life he wanted to live.

Hot fury stabbed into his heart and burned through his soul. He heard the door open behind him, and he knew instantly it was Bryan. Only Bryan moved like that. He could feel the anger pouring from him as well. He felt the same. They both wanted revenge on the world. They both wanted to see this world burn the way it should have. Maybe they really shouldn't have destroyed the Abbey. Maybe Boris shouldn't have had to die.

A chill ran down his spine. He could almost hear Mikhail now. _Jeez Hiwatari, what did _I _die for then? _Certainly not this world though. This world without Luka. That wasn't a world at all. Even a world without Anna had been hard to stomach. That girl had become family. Everyone loved her. He knew that he certainly had. He loved her because she was family, she was his friend and family, and she'd left. She'd thrown them away like trash. Just like Ian had...

Then she'd recreated the Black Dranzer system.

She was an idiot.

He remembered years ago when he'd risked his life to save her own. They'd never told Tala about that night. It had been something they never planned to tell him too. It would break his heart, and he was already dealing with enough without adding this onto his plate.

It had been that horrible, horrible night Anna had broken into the Abbey. She had been shot twice, and Kai had run across Moskva to get to her in time. He could barely breathe and yet he ran as fast and as hard as he could to get to her. He wouldn't tell Tala that he had seen him get arrested. He was running towards the lake and while he'd missed seeing the redhead actually shoot at Anna, he'd heard it and he'd watched as his brother was arrested.

Then he rushed to the water and dove into it. He swam hard, going to where Anna fell backwards into the water. She wasn't anywhere to be seen. He'd taken a deep breath and he dove down, swimming deep into the Lake's freezing depths just in time to grab hold of her and drag her to the surface.

She hadn't been able to swim with her leg and arm shot and she had slowly been drowning. He pulled her up though. He pulled her up and swam to shore with her. Only there wasn't any shore anywhere around them. Only tall walls and logs. He'd swum with her limply hanging on to him for nearly fifteen minutes. By the time he'd gotten to the shore, she had started going into shock.

He'd had to give her CPR, and Michaels had come to take her to a med team. He himself caught a mild case of hypothermia, but he hadn't cared. When he knew she was safe he'd been happy and that was that. He hadn't slept at all until he met with Tala again though. He'd been too stressed.

An evil part of him regretted saving her. At least then she wouldn't have caused all the pain she had now. The angel on his shoulder reminded him though, that if he hadn't, Tala probably would have died long before because of his own hand.

"What's the plan Kai?" Bryan's voice asked, breaking through his thoughts, as he sat down across from him. His eyes ran briefly to the child who looked like he was sleeping, but who may not wake up ever again. He let himself act on an indulgence and he gently moved the bangs from the boy's forehead before kissing it fondly. To some it may seem odd, but to him, it was simply an act of love he gave to any of his brothers. It wasn't because he was attracted to the child, if he was he would have kissed him far differently that's for certain, but it was really because he cared deeply for the boy. He really was the nephew he'd always considered him to be. He too was family.

He too was a casualty.

"Fuck the God-damn ISA that's what." Kai muttered, clenching his teeth. He looked up at Bryan, and Bryan nodded.

"You going after them?" He asked seriously, looking at Kai with a dead certainty in his eyes. He wanted to know the truth, and Kai knew he would tell him.

"Yes." He replied. "I'm going to play their game for a while, and then I'm gone. Their world is going to wish it had never crossed us."

"What about Kiril? How's he doing?" Bryan asked as he looked over towards the boy.

"The doctors don't know if he'll wake up. There's no reason for him to be out." Kai replied seriously.

"You sure you want to do this with him like this? If they recoil-"

"They won't touch him."

"Why not? Just because he's a kid-"

"Because he's got a guard dog that won't let them." For a second his mind didn't process he was saying all of this about the boy he thought of as a son. "He'll be fine...hopefully this'll all be over before anyone gets the bright idea to go after him."

"What if something happens to Adrien, what if-"

"Then we're screwed anyway. We can't stop what's going to happen Bryan. We can only play the cards we're dealt."

"So what are you going to do?" Bryan asked as he sighed heavily and looked over at Kai. The man looked back at him.

"I'm going to win. I'm going to use my wild card."

"And what's that?"

"The deuce of course." Kai grinned, and fixed the man with a cold look. Bryan just nodded though. He understood. Time to move out. This poker game was just getting started, and so far the enemy held all the cards...but that's the thing with poker.

People cheat.


	11. Aida, Antonio, and Dmitri

**Windstar: **This chapter is the big one guys. Descriptions, time changes, and much much more. Over ten thousand words long, this chapter should clear up some (but not all) of the confusion resolving around our favorite runaway. As for Kiril and Adrien? They've taken up the back seat on this one. You won't hear from them for a little while. We're getting to the real crux of the issue, and I wish you all the best!

A few quick things: The deuce is the two in playing cards. It's traditionally the wild card. In the last chapter when Kai says he was going to use his "deuce" it's either his two or his wild card.

Another thing: if the emotion in the last chapter was off, maybe it's supposed to be? (Here's where I'd insert a smiley, a wink, or something equally as suggestive.) In all honesty you're going to have to wait and see. There's a reason for everything, I just can't explain it all now or else there wouldn't be a story!

Thank you to all the reviewers, there were a few new ones in there and I appreciate all of you!

**Disclaimer: **Same as always.

**Chapter Ten:**

She wrapped the abaya closer around her. She could risk no one discovering her identity. There at the table was her target and her breath caught when she saw him. So much more striking was he in person. Pale skin that was sun kissed from the time in the Arab nation shimmered and shone like diamonds. She hadn't seen him in person in nearly seven years, but now that she was staring at him, she was surprised by just how grown up he looked. He was wearing modest dress, adhering to the nation's concern on hiding's one's body. His slate hair was not slate anymore. Over time it had darkened considerably. Now it was more of a raven black with shimmers of blue when the sun hit it just right. It wasn't much, but it was the last sign of that boyish impishness she remembered that he'd maintained.

In the back of her head she wondered if he was even the same person, or if he truly was a completely changed man. Time did that to someone. Especially when someone such as he was left to his own devices. He was a former member of the ISABD, that she knew easily enough considering her time with the organization in the past. She couldn't believe she was actually given this assignment to be honest, and as she stood across from him (watching him from the shadows) she realized that this, just like everything else in her life these days, was a test. A test of what she wasn't to sure of.

Loyalty? Bah, she was never loyal to them in the first place. She was there because she was trying to protect the ones she loved. She would slit their throats in their sleep if they gave her the opportunity to, so they never did. Perhaps they were, then, testing the bounds of their black mail. Perhaps they were seeing just how far they could make her go while still giving them everything they wanted. She said she'd work for them to protect the ones she loved, but did that include involving the ones she loved?

She didn't care though. It had been six and a half years years. Six and a half long years away from that organization and the thrill of saving the world everyday. Destroying it was somewhat of a moot point now, and if the ISA sent this person as their spy, then they were going to be sorely disappointed. She wasn't going to be fooled by him, and neither were her partners.

"Thi'bun?" She asked as she stepped forward. He glanced up at her. His red eyes never lost their amazement, blood filled them and she was certain that someone around them would think that his eyes were from the devil himself. He frowned ever so slightly, she would have missed it had she not been accustomed to his mannerisms. He'd been expecting a man. A man he could see the face of. A woman, especially here, would not be seen. He couldn't identify her.

"You must be from the Temple?" He asked in code. It was what he'd been told to ask, and what she was supposed to look for. She moved closer, it was against custom to get much closer then she was.

"My name is Aida Arub." She replied as she looked at him through the veil. He couldn't see her, but she could see him. That was all that needed to happen in this setting.

"And _are_ you a reward for a loving husband?" He asked slowly, translating the name with an arching eyebrow.

"And are you a wolf? Or a wolf in sheep's clothing?" She asked with the same skeptical tone that he'd questioned her with. He raised a hand to show he meant no harm. As always his knowledge of language far surpassed what everyone else believed him to be capable of. He didn't appear like much on face value, but he was one of the most educated people in the world, and she knew it as much as he did. His arrogance was usually his downfall, but that had only become a close second as time drove by. He had slowly gotten more accustomed to being slightly more polite to those around him, something his _friends _had taught him after they'd decided to trust him again.

"I apologize my lady-"

"I am not." She replied almost instantly. He looked perplexed. She sighed. "Your lady. You will refrain from speak of me as such." He nodded slowly.

"I apologize again miss. You truly must forgive me." She didn't reply, and he hadn't expected her to. "I'm from the ISA." He said simply as he withdrew his badge. Interesting, but she didn't have much to say on the matter. This was common knowledge as far as she was concerned, she'd been prepared to bring it up eventually, but the fact that he was telling her meant that he was trying a game plan that was unusual. Especially considering his current standings.

"I'm aware." She replied as she looked him over once more. His black hair was hitting that sunlight just right, traces of the silver and blue from the past were appearing now. For a moment she had a vision of him as a sixteen year old boy, standing proud and tall with his friends in headquarters. He was triumphant about something...had he just mastered the Black Dranzer system? He might have. She couldn't remember. No...that was another time. When Kai had defeated it truly, and not just that little trial run he'd done in Italy...he had been heaving. Tears had run down his pale features, his body had been shaking with shock – but he'd done it. He'd done what no one else could have done. He'd defeated the legendary computer program that had been created off the demon bird itself. Only one other person had mastered it since then. His brother. She clenched her fists. _Don't think of him! _

"I thought you might have." He shrugged slowly. "I'm on a mission to locate one of our missing operatives."

"What does this have to do with your willingness to become a member of the Temple of Fates?" She cut him off. He kept going though as if he'd never been interrupted. That damn arrogance he'd had since birth.

"Tala Ivanov vanished four months ago." She didn't let herself melt on the name. She didn't let herself feel anything. She didn't envision the red-hair that was soft and smooth or the cobalt blue eyes that were filled with all the love in the world. She couldn't envision it. Because if she did she'd tell this man who she was. She'd tell him everything he wanted to know, and then the one she loved most would be killed. She held her tongue, and she thought nothing. "It's my job to find him. My sources tell me that he's here."

"You expect me to tell you what you want?"

"No. I expect the Temple of Fates to let me join them so that I can continue pretending to look for him." She nearly laughed. Nearly. This man would never leave his brother on the wayside. It was pathetic he was trying this ploy. Absolutely pathetic.

"You're a fool if you think that I'm going to do anything of the sort. A liar and a fool."

"Tala Ivanov is my older brother." That was probably one of the first times he'd ever said that. How many times had she overheard him calling Tala his _younger _brother? "He's my best friend and he's also dead." She did start at that. He raised an eyebrow at her. She fought to keep her body from moving once more. "The ISA fucking killed him, then sent me to find them. I have all the paperwork in my bag."

"You want revenge." She said simply, her voice was even. Her head was clear, and her heart was pumping faster then ever before.

"I want to kill them. I want to get back at each and every one of them. They sent me on this mission with a path of dead leads until finally I did my own digging and found just what they didn't want me to. They sold him out to the highest competitor and let them do whatever the hell they wanted to him. I'm going to get my revenge. I want to be apart of the massacre I spent years to stop, just to show them how foolish it was to turn against us."

"Us?"

"My team wants in too."

"Your team?" She was ready to leap over the table (draping clothings and veil be dammed) and strangle him. He was pulling everyone else with him? He was going to bring them all into this fate and condem them to death because he was irate? Suddenly though she couldn't feel anything either. Suddenly she felt like causing the end of the world herself. Where was the boy who had so adamantly refused to let the world they lived in die? Where was the boy who was stronger then anything they had ever dreamed of? He was gone, and cracks were forming on all of their resolve.

"Saqr, Numair, and Mundhir."

"Your names are interestingly chosen for aliases."

"You know who we are then?" He almost seemed to smirk. Using code names was never something he liked. He thought his own name was perfectly fine, thank you very much. He didn't want anything to do with code names. Dropping them as soon as they were picked up would just make him happy.

"We've always known." She replied. "If you had to call your brother something, what would it be?"

"Mahdi." He replied without second thought. She nodded, it fit. She tried not to show him how much it hurt though. Closing her eyes, she count backwards from ten and then let out the breath she'd been holding. Standing up she moved to him and passed him the note that would tell him how to get to the Temple.

"I'm certain you will choose the correct path." Was all she said as she turned and started back down the busy streets of Mecca. She walked softly and quietly, by passing tourists and those who were on their Hajj. She was on a hajj too. To what though, she wasn't sure. All she knew was that when she got to the promised land and the holy land, she was disappointed, it hadn't been what she'd been looking for, and now her life seemed destined to be a dark one.

Thi'bun watched her go for a long while before standing up and making his own departure. He looked at the piece of paper in his hand and memorized what was on it. Then he ripped it up into hundreds of small pieces and he threw it away. There would be no paper trail on this one. He walked through the blistering heat and the sun beat down on him in a hateful way that made his skin start to simmer.

Russian skin did not do well in an Arabic country. He knew that as much as the next person, but it was a requirement at the moment and he was ready to face the consequences. He walked into his hotel with a lack of caring on his face. Ascending the stairs he turned the key in his door and he opened it up without so much as glancing inside.

A knife flew at his face and he dodged it with reflexes that had been honed for years. He threw a kick deep into the gut of his attacker, sending him backwards into the room. The other man growled in pain as he hit the dresser, his eyes flaring with hatred and annoyance.

"Hiwatari what the hell are you doing here?" The other man asked as he glowered up at Thi'bun. The man didn't seem to take much notice. He retrieved the thrown knife and started into the room. Closing the door tightly behind him he raised an eyebrow at the other.

"My job. What are you doing here Bastion?" The words had slipped out of the Arabic that he'd been using all day, into the native tongue of Russia. He started to fix himself a drink while the other was still gasping for breath on the floor.

"You were supposed to check in, in _Cairo, _four days ago. What the hell are you doing in Mecca?" Thi'bun sipped at the whiskey that he had poured himself, not at all fazed as the liquid burned down his throat.

"I told you. My job. Bastion, I thought you were running the new recruits to the ground in Moskva. Why were _you _sent after me?"

"The command center doesn't like what they've seen."

"Oh? And what have they seen?"

"They've seen you start trying to make connections with the Temple of Fate! You're supposed to be trying to find Ivanov, not go traipsing around the religious extremist groups that are just _looking _for a reason to kill us."

"Bastion, you were one of the younger Abbey children who joined up with the ISA after the shut down twelve years ago, so I'm going to let you in on something just so you understand." He placed the glass down on the table and slowly started to make his way towards the younger man. The boy looked slightly worried for a moment, especially when in a flash he was thrown up against a wall and started to be strangled by his superior officer. "I don't take orders from the corrupt or the broken. I don't listen to the people who would sell souls to the devil for things that aren't even theirs to touch. So go running back to Moskva like the good little foot soldier that you are, and tell them that as of now, the F-Officers have been disbanded and there are no orders being followed from this point onwards."

"You're quitting?!"

"Yes. Now get out before I kill you like the dog of the organization you are." He roughly shoved the man out of the room, and slammed the door behind him.

Two minutes later, the phone rang. He answered it without looking at the number.

"Thi'bun?" He said his codename out of reflex, he didn't know who was on the line and he wasn't taking the chance. He'd been on missions before, and maintaining his identity was something that was important.

"Uhh...Kai?" It was Tyson. The man sighed heavily and raised a hand to his bangs. He didn't want to deal with him now, especially considering what was happening in his life at that moment. He didn't know if his phone had someone listening, he prided himself on maintaining a top of the line security system on his line, but at the same time he couldn't play with the devil on this one. He glanced warily around the room. Anyone could have a listening device planted in here. He couldn't talk to him right now.

"Not now Tyson." He hissed into the receiver.

"No, this is important-"

"What could possibly be important. I told you not to call this number. _Ever. _Unless it was a matter of life and death. I can't deal with whatever crap you have going on right now Tyson. I need to go."

"Kai, it's about Tala!" That made the man stop in his tracks. After nearly thirty years of life, there had been few things that ever surprised him. He had seen so much and had been through so much that very little ever surprised him. That Tyson had managed it was no surprise though. Somehow he'd been the only one to really make him ever become startled.

"What is it?" He asked slowly, trying to keep the hope in his voice down. He hadn't completely been lying earlier. In fact, he'd told the truth to Aida. Tala had been sent to his death by the ISA who had sold him to an organization that was willing to pay top dollar for him. The fact that he was dead was something that was a moot point. If he wasn't dead, he was going to be, and Kai was more then willing to destroy the ISA if it meant he could bring back his brother from the grave. Even if it was just to bury his broken body.

"His ID number was flashed on the system on the BBA's files and several high security programs and databases were nearly accessed."

"What?" Leave it to Tyson to find something he'd missed. Tala's access card. As the leader of the F-Officers of the ISA, he was also the acting leader of the BBASS, meaning he had total access to everything. That information was important to someone, and that someone had managed to get his card. "How'd they get passed all the security questions?" He mused out loud. Just having the card didn't mean anything, someone would have to bypass the security system that was set up by one of the greatest computer experts of their day...who conveniently enough had _also _disappeared.

"That's the thing, all the _true _answers were answered incorrectly."

"All of them?"

"Yeah, all of them. The responses were the back up answers."

"Back ups? So he used his _card_." He couldn't say much more then this, if someone was listening in he had to be brief and to the point. His mind was buzzing though. It was the only logical excuse. Tala had been there when the system was set up, and as the leader of the organization it was his job to know all the ins and outs of the system. When he was working on it, he'd created two sets of answers that could be acceptable by any cards. The first set varied depending on whoever was using their card. Much like a password, the answers to the security questions would change per person. However, there was an overriding answer that worked on everyone's card. That over ride was designed by Tala himself.

All the answers that he put down were vague and something that required an amount of knowledge on so many different topics that it was almost horrible to try to find out. The only people who ever managed to hack into the system after it's completion were the F-Officers, and that was because the information had all been that of the memorized codes and patterns from childhood. One other person knew the codes. The one who designed the entire system, Anna Ottilia Jones. She'd dissapeared half a decade ago.

"Yeah, all the back ups were right, but when the he tried to get into the system the last question wasn't answered. He pulled out before he got in."

"What was the last question?"

"'Where are you?'"

The answer was simple. It was a trick question that had been developed after years of subtle jokes and covert answers. Tala had asked Kai the same question years before, and Kai had answered him with a perfectly neutral face. _On the three._ Of all of the answers, that was the one that Tala should have gotten right. He wouldn't have forgotten it. It wasn't possible.

"Where was the card flashed?" Kai whispered softly. He knew the answer before it even left his mouth.

"That's the weird thing, it's in Mecca, Saudi Arabia." Kai closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He'd been right then, when he'd tracked down the Temple of Fates. He had been doing it with the hope that the Temple that seemed to have to much information on programs they shouldn't have been privy to. Especially when things were starting to get developed faster then ever before.

"That's actually helpful. Go back to your desk job Tyson. I'll call you in four days, and if I don't then call your head of security and let them know what you just found out alright?" Tyson hesitated. Tala was the head of security, after him it would be Kai...after him would be Bryan.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm joining up with someone down here who's going to help me deal with Tala." He responded nonchalantly. "Keep your head down, thanks for the info." With that, he hung up.

He felt better then he had in days. There was a good chance that Tala was still alive, and that the Temple of Fates had him. There was also a good chance that the girl, Aida, had known from the start that Tala was in the Temple. If that was the case then they knew that he was looking for someone that they had. They'd let him in, and try to keep him there because he knew just as much about the ISABD and the BBASS as Tala did and now they could use each other against one another.

He looked at the paper in his hand, and then nodded to himself. It looked like he was going to be running for his life same as always, only this time he was going _in _rather then out. He flipped open his cell phone and started to make his calls. The three other F-Officers were going to be there by nightfall, and when they did they only had a few hours to prepare before they went into the Temple of Fates and prepared to find their commanding officer and brother, Tala Ivanov.

Miles away, Aida was sitting down on a chair in the lab. Her clothing had been changed, and now she sat in comfortable jeans and a shirt that were the same clothes she'd arrived in over five years ago. Her hair had been pulled back in a ponytail as she started to work on her laptop. She thought over her conversation with Thi'bun, and she felt herself grow cold inside.

Tala was dead. Kai had lost it, and the others were on their way. Suddenly the world no longer felt beautiful. Suddenly everything felt like it was falling apart. Aida placed her hands on her face, cupping it as she tried to breathe.

One breath. In. Out. Second breath. In. Out. She had to coach herself because ever since she was placed before this laptop and told to start working on her _real work_, she had lost her ability to think. Work. What could possibly motivate her to work? She let herself fall into despair for five minutes. Five precious minutes. It was all she was offered.

The door opened and she glanced up. There would be no tears on her stoic face. There would be nothing. There were five today. Five test subjects that were ready to pilot the program she'd been building for _them_ over the past five years. They walked in just like all the rest. Their hands bound, their faces hidden by the metal masks that covered their eyes (but more importantly their temples) and the tops of their heads. The masks cupped down, surrounding their ears.

These subjects had no lives other then the tests they were going to be asked to preform, and because of this they were no better then lab rats. Seven had died in the beginning. They couldn't handle the system. The Temple had started to find their hackers slowly yet surely, but they hadn't been able to find anything of use yet. No one could master the system, and Aida wanted to scream that only two people had ever truly done it.

She could pilot the program, that wasn't a question. She could use it how she pleased, but she'd _designed _it. She'd worked out it's kinks, and she'd been there when the pilots had first gone through it. She knew how it worked, and she could use it if she absolutely had to. She nearly died every time she did it though. Nearly, but not quite.

She was to stubborn to die.

She had someone to fight for.

The subjects walked in and she led them to their seats. Each chair had taken almost a year to build. Precise math and calculations had to be made, and everything needed to be done by hand. It would raise to much suspicion if it wasn't done by hand. She'd built them herself, perhaps taking a longer time on each one then she needed to, but she couldn't think of any other way to have things work out the way she wanted them too.

She procrastinated as much as possible, and when she couldn't get away with it a moment longer, she accepted defeat and built the machines. Sitting down at her desk, she barely glanced up as she noted Tristen coming to stand right next to her. He had been her grounding since she'd gotten there.

She'd woken up to see him all those years ago and she'd nearly cried. She flew into his arms and she wept for hours. He held her and he told her everything was going to be alright, and when nothing was going to be alright, he told it to her anyway. It was what she needed, and it was what he gave her. He had been there from the beginning too. He'd been there since she'd been a child too.

"You will be given a task. Using the system, you will _think _your commands to it. It will do what you tell it to do, and right now all you need to tell it to do is to get past the security defence systems that are placed before you. Be creative, because I certainly will be. You have thirty minutes to try to get through the door you will see on your visors." Visors. The nice way of saying masks. "I've programed this to be a visual system. What you see is what you get. Any questions?"

"Wait...you want us to _think _our hacks?" Someone asked as they fidgeted in their seat. Did they know if they kept that up they would be tied down? She didn't say anything about it, she knew better.

"Yes, the visors you're wearing will pick up any brainwaves and convert them into actions. This is actually possible, it's been proven."

"By who!?" That was another person, and she opened her mouth to reply before one of their guards slammed his fist on the loud mouth's visor.

"Be quiet!" The man ordered in harsh arabic. She kept her eyes down. She didn't like it when people were getting injured for their questions. This whole process didn't sound right. Did they know about the health problems that could occur from this?

"Be careful with my equipment would you?" She spoke brazenly. Tristen gave her a worried look, but she didn't care. She was sick of this anyway, and they wouldn't hurt her. They couldn't. She knew though, that they could hurt someone else, and so she kept her thoughts to herself after that. "Anything else?" She asked softly.

"What's the goal?" That was the one of the newer recruits, and his words were strange to her. The goal? The goal was to survive. The goal was to destroy the world and be the cause of it. The goal was to get out while you still could. The goal was to breathe. Just keep breathing. Breathe or you'll drown.

"Get through the door." She replied softly before looking at her laptop. All of their brainwaves were about equal, they were ready to start. She prepared herself for a dead body. Their last time running this experiment had ended with all of the subjects loosing their lives. She felt herself begin to pray for them. "Begin." She tapped the enter button and instantly she watched the five Black Dranzer control systems run.

The first hacker had come to the door and he'd simply tried opening it. He walked right up to the door in his mind and attempted to just open it. Rolling her eyes she tapped in her command and electrocuted his hand – sending him flying backwards. He screamed in shock in real life, and his brainwaves registered the attack. He wasn't as bold the next time. He tried to kick the door open, this time it erupted in flames and it attacked him.

His breathing increased slightly as fear started to set in. This wasn't a normal program and it seemed like he was realizing that. The third test subject had started to advance on the door, clearly trying to figure out just how to get through it. She glanced at his stats for a brief moment and sighed. She was bored. None of them were exceptional so far.

Four and Five were running around like One was doing. Four wasn't getting anywhere, but Aida was surprised when she saw that Five was actually running through a series of complex hacks in his headset. He was focusing very hard, and his plan seemed like it was going to work too.

The Second test subject hadn't even moved yet. He was still trying to make himself walk a couple of steps, and that was never a good sign. Lack of will power meant bad hacks. He wasn't going to get anywhere if he didn't _want _it.

The minutes ticked on, the first man slowly yet surely realizing that he couldn't just force his way through the door, and the third one slowly starting to fall into paranoia. She placed a black mark on his file. He was being over run by the system and she was going to step in if he started to scream. She hated it when they screamed.

The second man still had yet to move, and she hated him for it too. He was acting like an idiot, and he was going to get punished if he kept it up. They were chosen because they could hack, they weren't chosen randomly. He was supposed to be the best of the best back from where he came from, and if he wasn't going to try then he wasn't going to get anywhere. She hated him because she wanted to be him.

She wanted to remain stagnant. She wanted to stand there and not pay attention to the orders she'd been given. She wanted to stay there and let fate come to her. The Temple of Fates. She wondered if this was her fate. To help destroy the world, and to help end the lives of those she cared about. She shook her head. One life would be saved. One life would live. The others that she loved...they had fallen down a dark road. Things changed after so many years. One life would make it through...if he could forgive her.

At twenty nine minutes though, the man she was jealous of dissapeared. He reappeared on the other side of the door, and she blinked at it in confusion. She hadn't even seen him move, yet he'd done what she'd told him to do. He gotten to the other side. Ignoring the others for a minute she back tracked his system and looked at what he'd done. He'd created a worm hole. A worm hole that was so small that it lead him right under the cracks of the door. He'd minimized himself into just strings of code that meant nothing and were nothing, and recompiled himself on the other side.

As she stared at his monitor in shock, and as she remained still the others managed to get through as well. Each one having a more ingenious solution then the last. She probably could have kept them out, but the fact remained, all five of them managed to get to the other side. All five passed. It was a success.

"Time." She called out slowly. She typed in the commands into their visors, and slowly yet surely they all managed to disengage themselves from the Black Dranzer program. "You've all passed...with some effort." She said, though her eyes traveled to their brain waves. The first, fourth and fifth one was more exhausted and in shock then the other two, but the third was flying high on paranoia. The second was normal. Completely normal. Completely fine. She felt herself clench her teeth. He was mocking her. Tala was dead, and he was here mocking her. It hadn't been the first time someone had gotten through the door, but it had been the first time someone had done it so perfectly.

The guards didn't let them have time to talk. She had to write down her findings, and Tristen was there to help her. The subjects were brought out of the room and she sighed heavily as she sank back into her chair. Everything was terrible, and everything was infuriating. She hated this place.

* * *

The first thing that had happened, was finding out that Tristen Michaels was still alive. She'd been thrown into his cell, and she'd been crying bitterly when he saw her. He didn't know who she was, and she didn't know who he was either. Still, he'd gone over towards her and he'd asked if she was alright and if they'd mistreated her.

"No, I'm sorry." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "I just...I just am a mess that's all." She'd tried to laugh but the tears just kept coming.

"You speak Russian?" She'd blinked at that. She hadn't even realized what language she'd been speaking in. Looking up for the frist time, she stared at him in stunned horror. She knew that face.

"Michaels?" She whispered in awe. He recoiled.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" He asked as he stared at her.

"I...I..." She didn't know what to say, she couldn't find the words to speak!

"Anna?" He dared as he stared at her. She nodded quickly. "My God Anna, how did they capture you?!" She let out a cry and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"We thought you were dead!" She cried, tears pouring all the faster. "Your body-"

"It was just someone who they made look like me." He said sternly.

"Your ID-"

"Was carved from my arm." He muttered as he showed her his mutilated arm. It was horribly disfigured and scars ran up it. They would...after all there was nothing past his elbow. His arm had been cut off at some point there. "That's not important, what are you doing here? Where's Luka? Are they coming for you?"

She shook her head, tears falling faster from her eyes. Her shoulders had started to shake violently. He frowned and hugged her the best he could with his one arm, but she just kept on crying. He didn't understand what was happening, but something bad had to have occurred. So she told him what had happened. She told him everything.

* * *

"_Bastard!_" Anna Ottilia Jones had never been more pissed off then she was in that one moment. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she threw herself at the man's throat, but he caught her by her arms and slammed her back up against the wall. Just to the left she could see her father and mother, her _biological _parents, standing by awkwardly.

"I think you understand our position quite well now, don't you?" The man asked easily enough. For someone who was over sixty years old, he was by no means weak and he could easily hold her in place. Even if he hadn't been able too, no one in the room would have allowed her to cause him any harm. That wasn't their place.

"You can't do this! You can't!" She screamed, struggling against him.

"All you have to do is come with us and we won't do anything. I really don't see the problem here." The man was laughing slightly, shaking his head as though she were nothing more then a foolish child. Tears were forming in her eyes as she shook her head.

"I can't!"

"Then you're going to watch your friends die...one by one..." He told her simply. He shoved her once more, and then let her go before he turned and walked over to his desk where he sat down as a king on his throne. Tears were pouring from her eyes, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered to these people. Nothing mattered at all.

Even her parents were watching on in stony silence. Even if they had cared, they wouldn't have said anything. It wasn't their place and they were in enough trouble since she was _their _troublesome child in the first place.

"Please...you can't do this..." She was weeping openly now, and it was no wonder. In the past few months alone, three of her dearest companions had been to the hospital. One because their newly found father had suddenly started to die, and the other two from random attempts on their lives. The threat was real, and she knew it as well as they did.

"Now, now, there's no need to cry." He cracked a grin and turned on a TV that was in the corner. He was smiling for some reason while she was trying to pull herself together. "After all, you're getting what you want aren't you? You're friends will be nice and safe and sound."

"They're not my friends they're my family!" She hissed, her eyes shimmering with hatred as she looked at him with open disgust. He glowered up at her.

"We're you family!"

"You abandoned me in _Russia_!" She yelled back, glaring at her parents who shrank away at the sudden shift in attention.

"You were a liability that needed to be erased." Her so called father muttered as he looked back at her.

"So why am I not one now!?" She was shrieking, her body literally shaking slightly as she glared at them with open hatred.

"Because you know how to control all the computers in the world, and you know how to make the system that can use it." The first man replied, ever so calmly.

"I can't give it to you!"

_This just in! _All eyes went to the TV briefly, and Anna's face paled of all color. Her legs came out from underneath her as she stared at it with open fear and horror. There on the screen was little Kiril, and his young friend Adrien. Both of them were there, they were crying in the arms of their guardian. A guardian who was bleeding slightly from the head as he held the two children close to him in front of the wrecked car. A guardian who she was ready to pledge her life to be with.

Tala never got into an accident. That was Kai's deal. Tala never even scraped his car. That was all Kai's problem. The fact that there on the screen was the completely crushed car and there the three passengers were on the street only meant that in the midst of all of this there was even more evidence that she should not be ignoring her family.

"Ah...there were children in that car. So sad..." The man from before said mockingly as he looked at her terrified expression. "Aren't those _your _children?" He was referring, of course, to her adopting Kiril, and her guardianship as a teacher at the school over Adrien. She was crying heavily, her hands pressing to her face as she watched healthcare workers try to figure out what it was they should have been doing. Even from there she could see clearly that Tala's arm had been broken in the crash. Had he done something to try to keep the kids from getting hurt? "Isn't that..._your _boyfriend...no not boyfriend..._family?" _She nodded bitterly. He laughed, shaking his head. Walking around the desk he leaned close to her, putting an arm around her shoulders he whispered into her ear. "You have six months to say your goodbyes and leave. I'll be watching you. If you say, _one word_ about any of this, I'm not only going to murder your little friends and your pathetic little boy toy. I'm going to burn that school of yours to the ground and the little sprog in your body is going to experience life without the ability to see, hear, or talk. I'll cut out his little eyes, his tongue, his ears, I'll rip his legs off his body and break all his fucking fingers. Do you understand me you little _whore?" _She nodded bitterly, her arms wrapping around her stomach.

She understood perfectly fine.

Leaving though...leaving nearly killed her. She took as much time as she dared to risk, she tried to make him hate her, but in the end it was inevitable. She had to leave, knowing that it would break his heart, and knowing that if she didn't he would instead be killed.

Still, she would admit later that she did try to do something about her unborn child though. She did go to the doctor to get it removed. As she sat in the waiting room though, her mind was filled with thoughts of her family that she was leaving behind. She was going to end this life to save it. It was a horrible thought, but it was the only thing she could think of to save her child. It was the only thing she could think of to keep that terrible fate from occurring. Still, she could remember all too well the look on Luka's face when he heard the news.

"_You're pregnant?" He whispered, his voice quiet and in awe, his eyes instantly falling to her abdomen as though he expected the baby to pop out and say high right then and there. She nodded her head, her curls flopping into her face as she did so. She was biting her lip. It was an accident, yes, they hadn't planned it, but she wanted it. She wanted this. After nearly a decade of being together she wanted to be with him...and she wanted this child. "How long?"_

"_Just a little over a month or so." She admitted, one hand resting on her still flat stomach self consciously. She was taking in his reaction. Was he happy? Sad? Was he scared? Was he all three? Right now he was speechless. Was that good? Bad? She didn't know. Maybe after all this time together she was wrong. Maybe he really couldn't handle a child. _

_He was so good with Kiril...Kiril and him were so close. Maybe this was a mistake. She shouldn't have brought it up. She shouldn't have!_

"_Is it a boy? Or a girl?" He was blinking now, his head titled adorably as he looked like he was trying to truly figure out what she'd said. She laughed slightly at his innocence. _

"_I don't know, they won't know for a few more months." He nodded, and shifted awkwardly. She bit her lip as she looked over to him. _

"_I...umm...do you...are you..." He was fumbling and so she saved him._

"_I want it." She continued, looking at him, and her heart sang as she noted the palpable relief that appeared on his features. He was nodding. A smile was forming._

"_Okay, okay, yeah, we can do this." Suddenly he was everywhere at once. "Paper, paper we need paper." He was mumbling, looking back and forth, and she blinked trying to keep up with him. He was searching through drawers and when he found a pen he put it in the crook behind his ear and then he went off for paper again. _

_When he found the paper he was looking for the pen, and all the while she was standing in the center of the room staring at him. Finally he remembered the pen in his ear and he took it out and started to look for a place to write._

"_Hon'? What are you doing?"_

"_We need paint...no wait, paint has lead in it and it's bad for kids right? So...no paint...what about wood? We should get a few things of wood. Coat the walls in wood. Then umm...then we need a crib...and blankets, and a bed." She couldn't help it, she was laughing. He was so flustered and so lost at what to do that she started to laugh at his attempts. Then he looked up, saw her there, and starting laughing too. "I'm gonna be a daddy!" He exclaimed suddenly, and then his eyes widened. "You're going to be a mommy!" He pointed at her accusingly. She was laughing harder and harder now, and he grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, hugging her and just letting her squeal in his ear as he spun her about the room. _

_Kai walked in right bout then and looked at them with raised eyebrows. He was only wearing pajama bottoms, and his hear was all tussled. He was yawning slightly, and he looked to have just woken up. He was busy tugging on a sweatshirt when he'd heard all the squealing._

"_What are you so happy about?" He muttered as he shoved past them towards the fridge. Tala grabbed him roughly from behind and pulled him into their hug. _

"_You're going to be an uncle!" He announced proudly. Kai frowned, his sleep deprived brain not picking up on the reference. _

"_I thought I already was..." He groaned slightly and wiggled out of their arms, rubbing his aching head. His statement did make the two freeze though. They stared at each other in horror for a moment._

"_Kiril?" They whispered at once. Kai looked back._

"_Yeah, isn't that who you're talking about?" Anna ignored him._

"_Is he going to be okay with this?" Worry was flashing across her face. _

"_With what?" _

"_Yeah...yeah he will be...we'll tell him together." Tala whispered._

"_Tell him _what_?" Kai was frowning now, staring between the two sternly as he tried to figure out just what they were talking about._

"_You're going to be an uncle." Tala told him slowly, trying to get him to understand._

"_Yeah? So, I'm al-" He stopped. Blinked. Looked at Tala. Looked at Anna. Cursed loudly under his breath, and then grabbed Anna roughly and gave her a kiss on each cheek before pulling back and exclaiming: "Do I have to beat this rapscallion for you or was it entirely intentional?" _

"_I wouldn't say intentional...but I want this." Anna concluded as she slipped her hand into her boyfriend's. Tala was beaming, and Kai just threw an arm around his shoulders._

"_Well can I name him! I did such a good job with my little brother here, and look how he turned out!" _

She couldn't do it. She fled that doctor's office and she had walked right into her family's waiting hands.

* * *

Michaels had been a Godsend. The fact that he'd been alive for all this time had made her heart soar. So when they were loaded up and sent to Saudia Arabia, she at least found solace in the fact that the man was with her. He asked her about the others, and she told him everything she could. She told him about Bryan, the son he'd adopted and had never been able to see or speak too after those papers had been signed, and she told him about the Ian and Spencer and Kai.

She told him about Kiril and about Luka and how she had left them thinking that she hated them and never wanted to see them again. He had been the shoulder she'd desperately needed to cry on as she lamented the fact that her child would never get to meet the father that wanted it so badly, and he held her because he cared for her too.

"I'll keep you both safe." The man promised as he rubbed her back gently. As the months dragged on and her pregnancy got worse, she suffered terribly from morning sickness and heartbreak. Every time she thought about her past life the baby would be kicking her to the point that she would need to sit down. It was like it was telling her to fight...telling her to be brave.

She wasn't though. She was scared and cowardly and she was crying the whole time. Michaels was the only person she could turn too, and he could only help her so much. He could only give her so little. All those years she'd been free, he'd been imprisoned and tortured for information about the BD Server. He was a far cry from the brave soldier he'd been all those years ago.

Still though, when she was seven or eight months pregnant and they came for her, he fought like mad to save her from them. He had to be knocked out he was fighting so hard. It didn't stop what happened. It didn't stop them from ripping her child from her body and carrying him off like a thief in the night. She was left in shock in her room, the man's arms around her as he tried to console her as she hyperventilated and cried in misery.

They didn't care about her, they only cared about the leverage they could use from the experience over her. Her son was named and christened in a catholic church in Rome. To the world, he would be called a name she would never recognize. She certainly thought that naming her sweet little boy Antonio Ottilia was cruel. It was a stab in her heart because the child was named after the man who's death she'd initiated. Naming her child _that_ was an intentional barb, and she hated it.

She was still grieving the child she barely had ever met when she was sent to Egypt to do a convoy with some of the people who might be joining the Temple that her family had set up as a disguise for their intentions. She'd never expected she would have run into both Tala and Kai. Especially at the sight of a plane crash.

Her heart had stopped in her chest as she'd stared at them. Hidden under many cloths they couldn't recognize her, but she could recognize them. Her sweet, darling, beloved was so close to death – and Kai looked little better. They were bleeding and pale and sunburnt and Kai was barely conscious as he struggled to get them to help.

She'd just managed to save their lives. Kai was exhausted and fading fast, so she did everything she could to ease his body from pain. Then she focused her attention mightily on her sweet heart. He was dying. She did everything she could do, and when he woke up and recognized her, she soothed his mind. She couldn't lie to him when he was like this. When he was mewling from pain and begging her to help him.

Making him believe that she killed their child had been the hardest things she'd ever had to do. He was heart broken. Completely and totally heart broken. _She _had done that. _She _had caused him so much pain. She'd let Bryan shoot her when he'd walked into the tent and saw her sitting between the brothers. She couldn't care anymore. She couldn't find the will to care.

So when she woke up and was back in Saudi Arabia, she wasn't sure if she should be happy or sad. All she knew was that when she came to, Michaels was sitting before her holding her infant son who was staring up at her with dazzling blue eyes that he got straight from his father. She already could tell that the light blondeish hair was going to darken over time. It was going to become the red locks that her love now maintained. The boy, like his father, would be a direct mirror image of Marina Ivanov.

There were some things she could claim as her own though. Now, in present time, she could see them when she looked at him. His cheek bones were more like hers, as was his body shape and height. She could tell that he wasn't going to be as tall as his father...he was so small. Far too small for the average child. Something that probably would have been different had he not been forcibly removed.

Michaels liked pointing out these traits, and she liked hearing them. It helped her become distracted from the fact that every time she looked at the boy her heart ached. There was another little child that was lost somewhere that looked so much like her beloved.

Another little child that she saw every time she looked upon her son. Only he wouldn't be a child now...he'd almost be all grown up.

She didn't get to see the baby that often though. Only for two hours every two weeks. He was taken away from her and she was threatened with his safety each and every time. Still, she treasured those four hours a month. She cherished those forty eight hours out of the year. Her baby was with her, and she could see him. That was all she cared about. That was all she was allowed to care about.

Michaels and her worked tirelessly through the years to build the BD Servers for her family. They did it to save little _Antonio. _To make sure that he remained safe and happy and healthy. Through it all though, they did what little they could to leave a trail...hoping that one day it could be followed.

It never was.

Years passed, and she felt herself growing bitter. Even though she hated the place where she worked, she had a child she needed to care for, and she would do anything to make sure that she had that that child was alright. She would do anything...even destroy the world.

So now, sitting in that room, after meeting with Kai, she found herself truly miserable. Later today she would see her son. Her beautiful little boy, but she couldn't seem to find the will to be happy. Not now, not ever. She may have her son, and she may finally be able to see Kai again for the first time in years, but it was useless now. Luka was gone. He was dead. There was no need to hope for a life with him any longer. He was gone.

"M-ma'am?" She looked up. It was subject number Three. The complete reject.

"What do you want?" She snapped back rudely. She was in a bad mood today, and she didn't want to hear it from the idiot.

"I-I was sent t-to m-meet w-w-w-with you t-t-t-t"

"To do what? Practice the server?" She asked as she all but glared at him. He nodded sheepishly. The recruits were required to wear the headets at all times so she couldn't even see his face. It was another thing that she didn't like at all. "Look, today isn't the best day. Maybe some other time." She told him as she swept some paper up from her desk and neatly placed it inside a drawer.

"B-but I-" The door swung open on the balcony above them and they both looked up to see a tiny little child run through it.

"Mommy!" The boy yelled out in Italian of all languages as he looked between the bars of the balcony to see her.

"Be careful!" She yelped instantly in the same language as she stared up at him with open fear. The child was running down the stairs into the room though, taking them two at a time as he quickly raced around to throw his arms around her legs.

"Mommy, Mommy, I got my test back!" The boy said excitedly as he held her close. She smiled down at him, running her fingers through his fiery red hair.

"Did you now?" She whispered softly. "How did my little Angel do?" She asked as she crouched down to be eye level with the child.

"I got a A!" He was patting his pockets and when he pulled the paper out he presented it to her. She frowned though when she saw it.

"Have you shown this to your Nonno?" She whispered as she looked at it, her eyes revealing nothing. The boy shook his head.

"It was for you, not him!" Looking over to the masked man he smiled brightly. "Hi! I just got an A on my test!" Speaking in fluent Arabic, the man nodded awkwardly and replied in kind.

"Con-congratulations."

"Thanks! It was on nouns! They're persons, places, things, and ideas." The man nodded back at him. "I'm a noun, cause I'm a person!" The child giggled.

"Yes, you are." Three agreed lightly. Anna sighed and directed the little one's attention on her.

"You know he doesn't like it when you use this name...you'll get in trouble." She had walked to the desk, and pulled out a pencil so she could erase whatever name was on the paper during his spiel with Three. The boy looked at her in annoyance.

"I like it better though!" He was frowning heavily as he stared at his mother. She smiled slightly.

"I know sweet heart, but you can't use it. You'll get in big trouble-"

"Nah-uh, I won't get in trouble."

"Get in trouble for what?" An older voice questioned from above, and all four people in the room looked up to see the bastard who had orchestrated this whole thing. Anna stiffened slightly, one of her hands touching the child's shoulder to move him back just a touch.

"Nothing Grandfather." She replied softly. She'd already rewritten the name on the paper and erased the forbidden one. The man was frowning at them both and he started to walk down the stairs towards them.

"I do believe that you have homework to do Antonio." He said simply as he looked at the boy who groaned loudly.

"But we just got here! I wanted to spend time with Annie." He whined looking back at his mother childishly.

"Well I do believe it's time to leave. Anna has work to do doesn't she?" He looked pointedly at Three who was motionless and silent through the whole exchange. The woman's mouth dropped.

"No. Today's my day with D-_him._ I have two hours, you can't just-"

"Are you giving me orders?" His tone was sharp, and the girl fell silent instantly. One of her hands was still holding onto the boy's shoulder. He looked up at her in confusion, not understanding what was being discussed, but she could do nothing. She shook her head, looking away from him. Turmoil was playing on her features. From behind her, she could practically feel Michaels seething at the cruelty of this exchange. "I thought not. Come along Antonio." He motioned for the boy who groaned and looked up at his mother sadly. He hugged her again, and she just managed to hear something about how he hated that name.

"I love you." She whispered softly, and he nodded.

"Antonio!" The man snapped, and quickly the boy pulled away and started to follow the man grudgingly back up the stairs.

When they were gone, Anna's dark eyes instantly turned to Three who looked rather awkward now. She was radiating fury. In her eyes, it was all his fault, and he understood that. He bit his lip and held up his hands.

"I'm sorry. I-I didn't know you h-had plans...I was told-" He couldn't continue.

"I know what you were told. I know this was his plan, but right now I just got cheated out of seeing my little boy so forgive me if I don't have much compassion for your case!" She snapped as she angrily sat down and started her computer up again.

"You'll see him tonight wont you?"

"No. I see him once every two weeks for only a couple of hours. Apparently that was my couple of hours." She snapped. The man was motionless, staring at her.

"Why don't you get to see him more often?" He asked softly.

"Because I'm a fucking prisoner same as you and he's their leverage over me, alright?!" The helmet nodded.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you...Antonio is a...good name." She scoffed.

"It's only the name that that _bastard _is forcing him to be called." The man tilted his head.

"It's not his real name?"

"No. Like I'd name him that...his real name is Dmitri Ivan-" She cut herself short and looked away.

"Ivan?"

"Ivanov." She finished softly. "Dmitri Nikoli Korg Ivanov." Three was quiet for a long while.

"I like that name...it fits him." She looked up at him and she forced a smile. "Are you from Russia? You don't look it."

"No...I'm not _from _Russia. That man up there was my grandfather...Tri's great 's father though...he was from Russia."

"Where's he now?" Three asked as he sat down on one of the chairs. She was quiet for a long while before she looked away from him completely.

"I just found out that he's dead."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Let's begin."


	12. Bryan's Soliloquy

**Windstar: **Okay, first and foremost I have to say, this chapter is dedicated to the most beautiful, helpful, energetic, tech-savvy, lovable, wonderful, and (sadly) anti-fanfictionist I've ever met: My beloved boyfriend Eagle. After I got back to our apartment a couple of weeks ago our wireless internest source had put a block on it so I couldn't use it. I was reading fanfiction off my iPhone I was so desperate. Seeing how utterly heartbroken I was without my home on the internet, my dear Eagle went out of his way and brought home a wireless router. To the man in my life who thinks fanfiction is silly and pointless, that it's probably illegal, and that I spend far too much time on the internet: thank you! I'm aware of my obsession, but the fact that you've fuelled my fire and helped made this chapter update possible will not be ignored.

Secondly: Another 'filler' type chapter, sorry but I can't put a kid in a coma and have him wake up the next chapter. It just doesn't work out that way.

Third: There's another miraculous return of a previously written off charcter in this chapter too! Who could it be?

Fourth: I have to admit, I'm really disheartened because someone actually made a very good guess that spoiled some of my fun. You'll find out more next chapter (and even more in the one after that), but one of you has figured out another big twist.

Fifth: I'm a huge X-men fan, and recently I started getting into it more. I almost stopped writing the third _book _in the series because of it. Then I realized that I could incorporated X-men type deals into the story. I have to admit that I'm getting more excited about the FINAL chapter of this series, and it's about sixty someodd pages right now. I know, I'm crazy. On that note, someone mentioned that I should make this into an origional story and I jumped onto that idea. I revamped how to make it mine and not have to do credits (after all...those pesky beyblades aren't my creation). It came out to be really cool, except now I have a problem: I can't start out on On The Three because that just wouldn't make sense to anyone. So I have to write a whole new story setting up On The Three. Which is great, except I'm sorely tempted to write off certain characters (Tyson...) and make other characters more prominent (Rei...) and then make the Demolition Boys have twice as much _screen _time. Needless to say I haven't put too much work into that story. When I'm done with One Hundred Chosen, I'll probobly work on it because it's still the same vein. I'll let you all know and then post it on fictionpress most likely.

Sixth: Yes, I did make another character (again). Yes, they are going to appear. No they will not be prominent. Yes you are free to hate them. Yes you can call me an OC monger. I've done it again.

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter.

Thanks to all of my reviewers, and enjoy chapter eleven!

**Chapter Eleven:**

Bryan Kutznetsov was sitting in Kiril's hospital room feeling not only very foolish, but also very sad. It had been months since the boy had moved or bothered to awaken. His hair had grown over the many months he'd been sleeping. They had told the hospital to not worry about cutting it, there was no point. Still, now it just touched his shoulders. Bangs could fall easily into his eyes. Eyes that hadn't opened once since he'd seen his brother die. His mind couldn't handle it. He could do nothing except for falling inside himself and not existing.

Bryan reached out and cupped the boy's face in his hand, ignoring the bit of stubble that was growing on his chin. The child had grown up in their arms. Even though they tried to care for all of the Abbey kids, this one child had truly been the one they cared the most for. He was their little one...their nephew.

"You gotta wake up Kiril..." He whispered softly as he ran a hand through the boy's hair. He moved so he was sitting on the bed, holding the teenager to his chest as he hugged him tenderly. "You just gotta." Tears were pooling in his eyes.

It had been a long and hard road for all of them. These past few months had been separated by missions to the Arab countries of the would, and dealing with the grief that was flooding the F-Fives. They wanted vengeance and they wanted to know who had killed their beloved Commander.

That night had broken the hearts of nearly five hundred students. They had made calls to everyone who was on the outskirts of the complex. Many students didn't live on the campus any longer. Hearing that the great Tala Ivanov had died though...that had shattered their hearts and souls.

At the funeral service, everyone had cried. There hadn't been one dry eye. It wasn't just Tala that they were burying. Not only was his body never recovered, but it was the very principle of the Fortune Five Hundreds that had died with the red head.

They all were crying out for revenge. While the Officers had been worried at first that perhaps some would side with the ISA, they found that it was only a surprisingly few amount. Almost everyone wanted to hurt and destroy the people responsible for the death of their beloved leader. Almost everyone wanted to be apart of that destruction.

It had been horrible, as the years had gone by, to watch the man's heart slowly break down. He had been ruined after Anna had left, and he was a far cry from how he was before hand. Everyone could see it. It was one of the reasons that they were so against the fact that Kiril was constantly fighting with him.

Now that he was dead though...now that he would never be around to be there with them again...everyone was hurting far worse then ever before. They found that they were furious with Kiril, furious that until the very end he had pestered their Commander. Pestered him while he was on a mission, and in a small way they blamed him for the death of the man.

Bryan had been incensed when he first heard the whispers that blamed Kiril for the death of the boy's father figure. He had taken the offender and slammed him up against the wall, yelling at him until the boy promised to never say such words ever again. It wouldn't matter if he did. In the end, Kiril was still in a coma and he was still incapable of hearing such negative words.

He was incapable of hearing any words. He was drifting in between being dead and alive. He was breaking in two, and he was taking Bryan's soul with him. Kai had been shattered by the thought that Tala had been killed. He had blamed himself for it, and he blamed the ISA with a furious passion.

Kai had barely been able to visit Kiril because he was so broken-hearted about letting the boy witness such a sight. He'd thrust himself into his work and he never came back out of it. Bryan wasn't the only one who had noticed either. A beautiful blonde Princess had noticed. Bryan could still remember overhearing their conversations.

"Kai, we never see each other anymore. You're focusing all your time on this project-"

"My brother is _dead _Adeline, I don't have time to be running around with my _girlfriend _when I have his killers to find."

"Luka wouldn't want you to do this to yourself Sacha!" He hissed loudly and spun around to face her.

"Do not call me by that name!" He yelled, eyes flashing with hatred. Bryan had recoiled at the sight. Kai had never raised his voice to her before. She took a step back in stunned silence, one hand dropping down just past her chest to her middle as though she were going to hold her diaphragm. "Never call me that name again! I never want to hear it again!"

After the Abbey had fallen, that name had not been as tabboo as it had once been. Tala called him it often enough, and even some of the other Officers did. Anna had done so occasionally, but she preferred his nickname. Adeline used it almost as often as Tala did though. Both of them Kai allowed, because it was something that he saw them having the right to do so.

Now though, now he hated the very sound of that name. He hated it with every fiber of his being, and he hated whoever used it. It was like it had been when his parents had died. 'Sacha' was forbidden once more. 'Sacha' was dead once more.

Dead like Tala. Dead like Luka. Dead like Michaels and dead like Mikhail. Sacha was just another name on the list. Another person that they would all bleed for.

"I...I'm sorry." She whispered as she looked away from him. Her eyes were filled with tears, but he didn't care. He brushed passed her and he met Bryan in the hall who was looking at him in anger.

"What do _you _want?" He hissed as he glared at Bryan. The air wielder said nothing though and just stepped aside to let Kai pass. Instead he looked in to see the beautiful woman crying bitterly, her hands pressed to her face.

He walked up to her and he wrapped his arms around her. He whispered sweet nothings into her ear and he held her close to his chest. He knew that he probably smelt like gas and oil and that sweat was on his brow...but he didn't care. He honestly couldn't find the strength to care. He was too put out, too exhausted, and she was crying so painfully that he couldn't just let it be. Kai may be an ass at the moment, but he wasn't going to be he refused to be.

That was how life had been recently.

Ian had come back into the fold, and the three other Officers could only stare at him when he arrived on the campus. He had grown a bit while he'd been away, some surgeries had been done to try to help his legs, and so he wasn't quite the midget he used to be. Still though, when the small man appeared before them after barely speaking to them for so long, they could hardly believe it.

"I'm here to help in any way that I can." He told them softly as he looked at each one of them.

"What happened to your real _family?_" Kai had hissed bitterly as he stared at him. It had been the excuse they'd been hearing for years. Ian wanted to spend time with his blood brothers and sister. He wanted to stay with _them- _not the people he'd grown up with his whole life. He didn't want to make the journey over to the Campus to actually see _that _family. He wanted to be separate and apart from them all.

"You're my family too." Ian had responded, feeling a bit miffed.

"Right. You've really spread the love around." The new commander of the F-Fives groused as he looked at his one time friend. In truth, all three of them were pissed off. They had been for years, but they accepted Ian's need to be with his family...even if it meant that their needs were completely ignored.

"I'm sorry..." The man whispered as he looked at them all sincerely.

"Yeah, whatever Ian." The sniper bit his lip, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"It...it's Ivan now..." He whispered softly. Anger flashed on all of their faces.

"Sure. Whatever. If you're so keen on helping then come on in, though you're a few years too late."

Ian, or rather, Ivan's arrival had been odd and unexpected. Still, he did help. He worked with some of the younger kids and took over a few classes so that the others could focus themselves on working. It was helpful, but it didn't matter. There was too much bad blood between them.

Bryan took to keeping the school running with Spencer while Kai was gallivanting around the world looking for any news that could help him satisfy his lust for revenge. Voltaire had come by every once and a while, checking up on things and watching over Kiril for a little while before sighing and leaving with a heavy heart.

The man was getting rather on in years and no one really thought he was going to last much longer. He was over ninety now, and he was only getting around because of an excellent care staff and by the boys' constant doting affections in order to make sure he was doing well.

Bryan hated to admit it, but in the midst of all of this pain and suffering, they were going to have to have another blow. Voltaire Hiwatari was probably going to die very soon. Kai was running HE almost completely by himself now. Which was another problem on this growing chain of events that wasn't getting any better.

Hiwatari Enterprises was expanding to the point of insanity, and Kai was floating around trying to juggle his newly reinstated position in the ISA that he was still bitching about, as well as the school, as well as dealing with the merges and meetings that were demanding all of his time. The France Branch had finally gotten its act together and now that he was given the excuse to spend time in France he was ignoring it as best he could so he could focus on other matters.

The few times Bryan even saw Kai these days were miserable and depressing. The man was dragging his feet and blinking around as though he had no idea what he was doing or what was happening around him. Bryan even had to carry him to his bed one night when the man arrived on the campus.

He was exhausted and he probably hadn't eaten anything in days. He was deathly pale and extremely thin. Rain had soaked him clean through and when Bryan saw the car pull up he'd originally gone out to bash the man's head against a wall in order to knock some sense into him. The end result though, was something of a completely different nature.

Regardless of the sad eyes of dozens of children who were watching the scene take place, Bryan walked out into the rain storm and placed a hand on the weaker man's shoulder. He looked at him intently, and dark eyes raised quietly to meet his own. The end result was simple. In that one moment, Bryan nodded to him. He could take up the slack. Kai didn't have to be so strong anymore. The man buckled and Bryan easily caught him and picked him up off the ground.

He carried the newly instated Commander up into the school and he lay him down on his bed. He was soaked through but that would be alright for now. The school was kept fairly warm and so there was no worry about illness just yet. Even if Kai could get sick...something that Bryan actually doubted due to his superior genes. Him and Tala rarely if ever were ill.

"Sorry..." Kai had slurred softly when Bryan had gone to leave. The newly instated second looked up and let his eyes meet his dear friend's dark ones. They were fogged with exhaustion, and Bryan couldn't deny that he looked awful. Maybe he really was going to get sick.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself." Bryan told him softly. "You can't balance HE, the F-Fives, and the ISA/BBASS. You're going to kill yourself...I can't have you in the hospital or burried six feet under too Kai. Kiril and Tala were too much..." Bryan whispered. "Voltaire's getting on in years as well..." Kai nodded, and yet despite those words he pushed himself up.

"Bry...I...I met Anna yesterday." He coughed, and raised a hand to his forehead. Bryan was frozen stiff. He stared at his friend for a long while, uncertain of what it was he was supposed to say...unsure of if he should say anything.

"How...how was she?" He asked at long last.

"Different." Kai was pushing himself up from bed, but Bryan was across the room in an instant and he pushed him back down.

"Stop it. I didn't carry you all the way up here, making an ass out of myself, for you to get up." Kai just nodded faintly, and brushed some of his black hair out of his face. As time had gone on, no one really knew why, his hair had just gotten darker and darker.

When he was eighteen he still had silver bangs that were wild and free, but now even those were a dark ebony. He didn't bother to think about it much, and everyone else just accepted it as what it was. They couldn't change it, and it really wasn't high on their list of things _to _change.

"She...she's so sad." He whispered.

"Did you tell her about Luka?" Kai was nodding, closing his eyes and groaning slightly as he held his head. Bryan shoved his hands roughly away and started to press his fingers to his _brother's_ skull, he pushed on pressure points and started to try to help him ease the headache away. "No wonder she's sad."

"No...I mean...in general...she's...sad..." His voice was weak, weary. He sounded like he could pass out at any second. Bryan felt his heart twinge. The flight back from Arabia had to have been a hard one, Kai didn't get a wink of sleep on the plane.

After that crash all those years ago, both Tala and Kai had distinct problems with flying. Especially Tala. Bryan could remember the flight they had been on just after the crash. Kai was gripping the arm rests so hard that some of the plastic was giving way, and with every jump he cursed. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe calmly, but it failed. Tala on the other hand actually needed to be sedated. He was hyperventilating to the point that it was getting far too worrisome to have him be awake.

Even on the trip to and from Italy when they got Kiril, Tala was a mess. Kiril hadn't understood it, or at least he was scared by it, when he saw Tala whisper for Bryan to just knock him out. Bryan had nodded, and agreed that it would be for the better. Still, for a child who was so completely traumatized by how everything had been handled, the sight of his father figure being sedated before getting on a plane did nothing to ease his already growing fears.

Even though Kai must have been fearful about it still, the boy had thrown himself in Kai's arms and had refused to move for the whole flight. Ian, Bryan, and Spencer, had all watched the dizzying amounts of emotion playing across the man's face as he struggled to keep his own fears at bay even while the plane lurched violently at times due to turbulence.

Even though it had been years since that terrible crash, Bryan knew that Kai never could fall asleep on a plane again. He never could feel comfortable on a flight. Even if the flight was twenty four hours, he would force himself to stay awake. All the while one hand would be clutching his beyblade in case something should happen.

"What do you mean?" Bryan asked Kai as he gently hugged the man to his chest. He was so exhausted and his head was filled with too much information. He could be his big brother right now, and he could be there to help the man relax.

"She's...lost everything. I feel like she's lost even the will to live. She recognized me...she speaks really good Arabic now."

"She did the last time we saw her too hm?" Bryan secretly was thanking God that he hadn't killed her. Hearing that she was still alive made him smile slightly. That bullet hadn't killed her...but it definitely could have killed her unborn child...if she even still had it.

"She was mad to see me though." Kai admitted lightly.

"Was she now?"

"She...She couldn't believe I told her about the ISA and what had happened."

"Did she believe you though, in the end?" Kai looked up, and met his eyes. He nodded.

"Yes, I think she did."

"Then that's all that matters." Kai nodded once more.

"We're in."

That was the last thing that Bryan remembered hearing from his younger _brother. _Kai was whisked off to meetings first thing, and then later that week he had to go back to Arabia. It was a nightmare schedule, but he was balancing it the best he could.

Still, Kiril wasn't moving. He was simply breathing quietly and leaning against the chest of the man he'd called Uncle. He had his eyes closed and his breath was slow and deep. He looked perfectly relaxed and his mind was lost in the darkness. Still, through it all, despite how calm he seemed to be...Bryan could only wonder what torment was haunting this boy's dreams...

Or at least, what was it that was making him stay asleep and not wake up. Maybe their world really was fucked up when someone would rather sleep for the rest of his life then face reality. Bryan felt his heart twinge as he realized that even though they had taken away one evil of the world, more still remained.

People like Donahue were still out there...people like this Temple of Fates were still around. Just because one person was dead, didn't mean there weren't dozens more out there who just wanted a piece of the pie of world domination. A thought that was both revolting and disgusting to Bryan.

Still though, he felt his heart break slightly as he thought about how Tala had been brutally killed. He knew that Kai had never told anybody, and that only the other Officers knew about this, but they had received images in their folders not long after the initial shot had been fired and Tala had forced them into a blind spot.

Images had appeared, mocking and laughing images of the cruel pain and suffering that their friend and comrade had gone through during those harsh hours of captivity.

Even young Alessander had been involved with it.

Actually watching someone press a flaming hot rod to someone's chest and watch it burning skin in a deep and dark brand, was sickening. The marks that were on their dear companions' skins were violent and bleeding, and the looks of shock and pain were clear on both of their faces. A message had been written on the file that had been sent to them.

_Do not send anyone after us, or they too shall face the same fate as these so called soldiers of the world. _

It was a message that had both sickened and infuriated them all. The four remaining Officers wanted nothing more then to find whoever had been responsible for this, and to murder them in cold blood. Still though, not everything was that easy, and there were other factors involved.

If it really was the Temple of Fate that had been responsible for killing their two friends, then that was all well and good. Things got much more messed up with Anna involved though. For years she had been sending coded messages through various security breaches in the ISA and the BBASS. Ever since that first hack that Tala had found, they had all looked into it and they had been surprised to find a long trail of information that was all leading back to one place.

Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

So there were a few facts that they did know for certain, and a few facts that they weren't quite sure about:

First and foremost: Anna was in the Temple, and she was working for them.

Secondly: She was not doing it by her own free will.

Thirdly: She had been trying to send them messages and alert them to the Temple's doings for years.

Fourth: If Anna was there, and she was teaching people how to hack via a Black Dranzer system, then the Temple was in control of at least one Black Dranzer unit.

Fifth: Based on the hacks...no one quite knew what they were doing and how they were using the system. They hadn't perfected it yet, and they wouldn't be able to unless they had defeated Black Dranzer in some way before. (It was because of this that over the years the F-Fives had unofficially been responsible for making sure that the various people who actually _had _defeated Black Dranzer were safe and that no one had been alerted to their ability to do so. In that sense, only Tyson and Max of the Blade Breakers really had done it other then the Demolition Boys all those years ago. The only difference was that Black Dranzer let them win, and probably wouldn't be too receptive of them trying to use her.)

Sixth: They needed people who could control Black Dranzer. That list was then brought down to only four people in the whole world. Tyson and Max might be able to do it, but it would take far too much out of them. Tala had done the mission with this intent in mind. He was supposed to have been captured...not murdered.

Seventh: Tala's ID card flashed on the system, coming up in Mecca. He was there. Whether a code from Anna or from Tala himself, Tala was there. Body or otherwise, alive or dead. He was still there. That meant that they too were going to go there. They too were going to get involved.

Bryn knew very well that the chances of Tala being alive were varying each day. Especially when he didn't code in. A shudder went through his spine though as he thought about that. He certainly hoped that if Tala was in fact alive, and Anna was in fact working for the other team, that she didn't use her knowledge of him to her advantage.

It was the one flaw to their plan in the beginning. Anna knew how to control Tala's mind. It wasn't a matter of choice. It wasn't a matter of love either. Anna could literally hack into Tala's brain and force him to do whatever it was that she wanted him to do.

She could make him use the Black Dranzer system if she had too. She could make him destroy the world and then proclaim her to be its master if she wanted too. He was a zombie to her when she had a computer and a way to hack into him. She knew him too well and she knew his programming too well.

The only hope was that she remembered enough about their relationship and the love that they had for each other in the past that she wouldn't make him do such things. All Bryan could imagine was once more the terrible feeling that had destroyed Tala. He hated to be controlled. He hated to lose awareness of his body. Tala had once told him in confidence:

"I hate it when Anna hacks into my head." Bryan remembered looking at him in concern.

"What do you mean?" He'd asked as he looked at the teen in confusion.

"When she hacks in and makes me do things-"

"_She can do that?_" He'd known that they could communicate, but he hadn't known the true extent of exactly how far Anna could go with her hacking.

"Yeah...she can make me do whatever she wants me to do." He looked at Bryan seriously.

"How often?"

"Oh not too often. Not since I told her how much I hate it..." He mused. "Still...I hate the feeling of not being in control of my own body."

"What does it...feel like?" Bryan had whispered as he sat close to his friend.

"It feels like being in a cage." Tala had explained cryptically. Later he would admit that he could see everything that was happening only if Anna let him. He could watch and observe his own actions. He could remember the words that he'd said. He could feel his body move, but he consciously couldn't do anything to stop it. Anna was in control of whether or not he could see the world, if he could hear what was being said, if he could speak...if he could remember in the end. He admitted that while the LX Com did help him on missions and did help him when it came to technology, he didn't like the fact that very easily he could be made to do something that he would never be aware of.

"She doesn't do it without your permission does she?" Tala laughed hollowly.

"I wouldn't know if she did would I?" And all Bryan could do was nod. It was true.

He would never know. She could make him forget.

Now as Bryan held Kiril to his chest, his eyes closed and his breath slowly escaping from cracked lips, he wondered faintly if Anna still thought about this child in his arms. He wondered if the woman who had so anxiously wished to have a child would remember the boy that was her first. Would she remember the many days she laughed and played with the growing child. Would she remember how much he loved her?

The fact that she had left so harshly, the fact that she said such cruel words, was proof enough that she probably didn't think much about Kiril or Tala for that matter. Yet at the same time, love and hate were so close together. You can't hate someone without extending the same amount of energy as one who loved someone. She couldn't ignore them. She hated them too much in that letter. She was _haunted _by them.

Now that Tala was supposedly dead...she could only hate this child.

Anger coursed through Bryan's body as he held the boy all the tighter. The fact that Anna had completely broken this child's heart all those years ago was enough to make him feel nothing but real hatred towards her. At the same time though...it was as he believed earlier. Hatred isn't too far from loving.

It was so easy to confuse the two.

The opposite of love isn't hate. It's indifference.

It was why Kiril got away with breaking Tala's heart so much as the years went by. He wasn't showing open hatred towards his so called Bropa. It wasn't because he was cursing the man's name. It was because he simply _disregarded _everything that he said or did. It may have been all because of a craving for attention, it may have been because of all the love he bore the man, but in truth it was indifference.

Kiril showed Tala nothing but indifference, and when they finally did fight it actually made Tala feel better.

"At least he's talking to me." Tala would say softly at the ends of their fights.

Bryan couldn't really fathom how it is everything got so fucked up. He honestly couldn't put together the chain of events that led to the destruction of their family. Voltaire was dying. Kiril was in a coma. Ian was leaving them almost constantly. Tala was MIA and assumed to be dead. Kai was stretching himself to the ends of the earth. Anna was gone. Adeline was getting pushed into the background, staying in France as she awaited a time where she would have a very good excuse to call for Kai. Spencer was the same as always...but it was only him really. Everything else was completely falling apart.

At least Adrien was a constant too. He was a constant who was never changing. He spent almost all his time in the hospital with Kiril. When he wasn't in the hospital he was training at school to be better then ever before. He was getting medication and going under various procedures to make sure that his lungs could handle the strain that he was going to put onto himself.

Bryan found himself getting closer to Adrien as time was going by. He was a sweet and quiet boy, but that was what made him so God damned scary at times. They would be training together and sparring. Bryan was never defeated by any of his students, but Adrien came closer sometimes then anyone else. It was a simple fact. Adrien just _wanted _it more.

They would fight together and Bryan would be teasing him, dodging attacks and mocking him, when suddenly he would fly forward with eyes that were narrowed darkly as though a switch went off. It was like when Luka became Tala...it was like when Sacha became Kai. The dark switch that would encompass them completely. Adrien would snap out and he would give Bryan a fight for his life.

The only reason Bryan wouldn't lose is simply because he had more practice and he knew how to fight dirty. Adrien wouldn't say anything though when he did. He would simply nod, bow, and start again. It was a simple and easy transition. Bryan actually shuddered occasionally when he was in the boy's presence.

Adrien was deadly.

His sweet angel face gave the impression of everything being completely and totally fine. He didn't look like he was capable of harm. He had a cherubic image about him. So when suddenly he raised a gun and shot a perfect bulls eye at five hundred yards, one fond themselves being dumbfounded and awestruck by him.

Adrien was a wolf in sheep's clothing. So soft spoken and so sweet, it was impossible to truly understand just how he managed to be so completely and totally deadly when he wanted to be. One thing was for certain. Bryan did not doubt that if the time came, Adrien would be more than capable of saving Kiril's life from any danger.

His shoulder had healed wonderfully, and as the months dragged on, it looked like he was completely fine. It looked like there had been no harm to him at all. He was back to training every day. He was back to working hard to become the best at everything he could possibly be.

Bryan sighed heavily, looking towards the door, he knew that all he had to do was open it and not far away there would be Adrien, waiting and able to protect him forever. It was one thing that Bryan could never do to shake the Abbey out of someone. No matter what he said or did, Adrien would not stop his constant vigil over Kiril.

"Why do you do it?" He had asked once, and Adrien had simply replied:

"Because I know that he needs me even if he doesn't seem like he does."

The only person that would be able to free Adrien of his servitude was Kiril himself, and the only way he could do that was if he woke up. Kiril wasn't going to wake up though...the doctors whispered behind their backs about how he was going to stay like that forever. They didn't think that he could possibly wake himself up after spending all that time asleep.

It was highly improbable.

"What would you do if he died?" Bryan had asked Adrien.

"I would die with him. He might need me where he goes."

"What would you do if you went to heaven and he went to hell?"

"If I went to heaven, I would kill an angel." He said it with such a seriousness about him, and Bryan could only shudder. What was important to take note of, was that Adrien _did not _like Kiril _in that way. _He was _not _in love with Kiril. He was not even _obsessed _with Kiril. He was nothing of the sort. Yes it could be misconceived that way. Yes, he was teased about it.

However, Adrien simply had all the faith in the world that Kiril would never do him any wrong. He had all the faith in the world that Kiril knew the right path and that he would follow him until the ends of the earth. Had Kiril actually become the Prince of the World, Adrien would be his most loyal servant and guard.

That was what he was intended to be. That was what was going to happen. Years ago, Bryan remembered that Adrien had once met a lovely young lady in town. The two had seen each other every so often, and they'd been pleasant towards each other. As far as Bryan could figure, they liked each other greatly. However it never went passed that.

"Why don't you and Natasha do something together?" He had asked once.

"Because Kiril does not want me too." He had answered.

It was a problem that Kiril had. He abused his power over his friend. He abused it to no end. He made Adrien jump into the well. He made Adrien defy the Officers on numerous occasions, and he made Adrien stay away from people purely out of jealousy. Kai's relationship with Adrien was a perfect example.

The two of them loved each other greatly, and Kai would bend backwards to take care of him. Yet Adrien still stayed away from him in public and never once made any comment about Kai to anyone. It was as if he was a black hole in his mind. Bryan had seen the two _rarely _when they were certain they were alone and it was a different ball game. The brunette was smiley and polite and endearing and he spoke with excitement and passion. Yet when Kiril was near, there was no sign of any relationship at all between them.

It was the one good thing, if you could call it that, that had come of Kiril's sleep. Bryan would see Adrien staying up later and later each night to see Kai when he came back from work. The man desperately would hug the boy and thank him for caring and for a little while at least he'd talk to him. Adrien was like a calming presence over the man's mind. Their relationship had improved greatly and Kai had been thankful for the child being there for him, and in turn he was there for Adeline when Kai couldn't be.

The blonde woman had been idolized in the boy's mind ever since he was a child and she had taken care of him in Italy. They may have had a rough start to begin with, but no one could deny that he loved her greatly. Whenever Kai couldn't be there, he had taken it upon himself to care for the Princess and make her happy.

Kiril though...Kiril was a lonely, lonely child. The fact that he knew he could control Adrien meant that he never wanted Adrien's attention to be anywhere else. It meant that he wasn't going to be able to handle it if anything should happen to Adrien. Just like when the brunette was shot protecting him, Kiril had been in such a state of shock that his anger had exploded in all the wrong ways.

Speaking of which, after all this time, Bryan could no longer see any signs of that awful day. Kiril's face was healed, his wounds had mended. He was perfectly sound now. He was simply just a sleeping child that never wanted to wake up.

The door opened to the room and cut into his musings, and he looked up at the young nurse that was standing there. She wore a white scrub top and navy blue pants, a patch on her arm claiming that she was a student, and a small ID card on her chest. Brown hair was pulled back out of her face and in her arms was a note book. He blinked slightly in awe...she was _really _young.

"Hello, my name is Ariana Chekova, I am a nursing student at the University; and I will be taking care of Mr. Ivanov today." She had a bright and sunny smile and he couldn't help but blink.

"Ah...I'm...Bryan." He introduced weakly. She smiled prettily at him.

"If you'd like I can come back in a few minutes to give you some time." She said with a smile, motioning towards where he was hugging his nephew. Bryan tried to smile back, but it failed. He slowly placed him back on the bed and stepped away.

"It's fine. Go ahead." He wanted to see what some little girl was going to do to his nephew. She smiled up at him, and then suddenly completely ignored his presence entirely. She moved straight up to Kiril's side and leaned over.

"Good-morning Mr. Ivanov, my name's Ariana, I'm going to be taking your vital signs now okay?" She said brightly, and Bryan blinked in confusion. _Huh? _She pulled a sphygmomanometer out of a pouch she'd been carrying and unhooked her stereoscope from around her neck. "I'm going to be looking for a pulse on your arm okay?" She gently took his left arm up off the pillow it had been laying on and touched her fingers to it just underneath the elbow on the inside. After a moment or two she nodded to herself, and placed the arm back down. All the while Bryan looked at her as though she were crazy. What was with the weird talking thing? The kid slid the cuff around Kiril's arm, and secured it. Then she placed her stethoscope in her ears. "You're going to feel a little pressure alright?"

Obviously the boy didn't respond, but she didn't seem to be deterred and she squeezed her pump quickly enough. Bryan watched her face turn still with concentration as she listened to the pulse in her ears. Her eyes were focused on the dial, the needle slowly starting to fall as the pressure was being released. A few moments later she was done and she had removed her equipment.

"120/80- perfect!" She smiled happily and wrote down her findings before returning to his wrist. "I'm going to take your pulse now alright?" And once more she was in deep concentration.

It only took Bryan a few more minutes before he finally figured out what she was doing. She wasn't doing this for _his _benefit. Oh no, this was entirely for Kiril. She was treating him like a person – not some vegetable. She was talking to him and doing everything she would do with a conscious patient.

Bryan had been there in the past, watching the various nurses and CNAs that would come in and just do what they needed to do before walking out. They barely said a word to anyone, and seemed annoyed that they had to do their job. This though...this was entirely different. This lovely little girl that he hadn't though highly of only a few moments before was actually doing her job kindly and in total consideration of her unconscious patient.

He was appropriately charmed by her behavior. He couldn't help it. He was totally willing to just lay her down right then and there and lavish her with anything that she wished for. At the sound of his laughter, Ariana glanced back at him.

"What's up?" She asked innocently, and he couldn't help it, he laughed some more. She frowned.

"Sorry...it's just...how old are you?" He asked, feeling terribly foolish.

"Nineteen..." She replied, her eyebrows knitted together as she tried to find out just _what _was so funny about all of this. That only made him laugh harder. "Just _what _is so funny about my age?" Bryan stifled the laugh the best he could, and awarded her with a bright smile. Somehow, _I kind of feel like pinning you to the wall and exploring your body _didn't seem like an appropriate thing to say. So he went with:

"It's just, there are crotchety old hags that treat him worse then you do, and you're just a student." A grin appeared on her features.

"Oh I see." Bryan just sighed though and came back to reality. No matter how charming the pretty nurse was, he wasn't going to be doing anything with her anytime soon. Not until this whole mess was worked out with the Temple of Fates. Besides, she was ten years younger then him, and no matter how nice she was to his nephew, he wasn't about to go and screw a little girl unless she was strip dancing in a bar and begging to be touched. That image really didn't go with Ariana. "I like it when you fuck more than me." His head snapped up and his eyes got wider.

"_What did you just say_?" She gave him an odd look.

"He likes it when you talk to him more than me..." She said slowly, and Bryan knew then that he really had to leave. He was hearing things.

"Why do you say that?"

"His pulse gets slower when you talk, but there's no change when I talk. So either you put him to sleep...or you relax him and make him feel better." Bryan felt his heart soar.

"You think he can hear me?" He asked excitedly.

"I think so...though it's never really been proven if people in deep sleeps can hear their surroundings." Bryan felt his heart beat faster.

"You say deep sleep...why not coma?"

"It's not a coma really...there's no brain damage, there's no cause of it from a substance...it's more of just a deep sleep he doesn't want to wake up from. His brain scans all say the sleep section of his brain is working normally – he just doesn't have the will to wake up...it's a good thing." She added when Bryan's face fell. "Coma patients don't usually ever wake up...he's not _in _a coma."

"Yeah, but you still don't know what he's in."

"No. I don't." She sighed and turned her head slightly, and finished up with her procedures before smiling. "I'll leave you two alone for a little while, then I'll come back to give him a bath." Bryan smiled appreciatively.

"Thank you." She nodded.

"No problem."

That was the first time he'd ever met Ariana Chekova. He saw her a few times after that, and each time he was awe struck by her flowing aura of happiness and love for her patients. He even saw her raising hell when pressure sores started to appear on Kiril's fragile skin. He had felt his stomach drop when he saw them the first time.

The dark discoloration made him feel like the world was ending. He pointed them out to her when she came in, and her eyes widened and her face clouded with anger for the first time. He stared at her, not understanding the reaction she was giving.

"He has an order for a turning schedule every hour!" She told him as she quickly started assessing. "I only come here once a week for school, and this wasn't here last week!"

"What...what's a turning schedule?" Bryan felt like such a fool in front of this girl, and she looked at him with the eyes of a wizened woman who knew more then her young face let on.

"Pressure sores are caused by pressure on the body. They can start with as little as one minute of pressure on a bony part of the body. We as healthy individuals move around so much that we don't get them. If we feel pain, we move so the pain doesn't get too extreme. He can't do that because he's asleep. His body's not registering when it's in pain, so he's staying still and keeping pressure on his skin. A turning schedule is implemented so that there's never too much pressure on a single part of his body at once. When I walked in today, I noticed that there weren't any signatures on the chart, I thought maybe he had woken up and didn't need the order any more."

"So instead people just aren't doing their jobs." Bryan felt his anger rise with hers, no wonder she was so upset!

"Exactly."

The following week when he came back, he was gratified to see that the pressure sores had started to heal and were being taken care of properly. She had gotten on the staff's case it seemed. Then again, the second thing he noticed was that there was a little nurse sleeping soundly in the corner – completely exhausted.

He didn't understand why she was there at first. It wasn't the right day for her to be there, but instead of pressing into it, he went and he sat beside his nephew and started to talk softly to him. All the while he kept his hand on the boy's wrist. It had become a habit, to feel the teen's pulse slowing to let him no that somewhere in there Kiril still was listening.

"AH-" He spun about and stared at the girl who was blinking at him in embarrassed shock. "Excuse me...umm...I'll be going..."

"Have you been here all night?" She blushed brightly.

"Umm...the staff...I...they weren't doing anything about the sores so I..." She motioned towards the bed, and he felt his heart flush once more with intense gratitude. That was why he was getting better...this little nurse's care.

He thanked her kindly, and watched her go. He had a lot he needed to do that day, and Adrien was waiting outside again. He'd said something about another visitor when he'd first arrived, now he could tell it was just Ariana.

Sighing heavily, Bryan kissed his nephew's hair. Then he leaned down and rested his head in the boy's hands for a brief moment before sighing and looking out the window. He put the blankets back on the child, and he removed a small present from his pocket before resting it on the desk near the boy's bed.

"I'm leaving now Kiril...I'll be back as soon as I can...Ariana will keep you company...I know she will."

Taking one last look at the child, he felt a well of tears forming in his eyes.

He was leaving for Saudi Arabia in the morning. Kai had called, the game was set.

It was time to get moving.

The Corps were going to be running the school while the Officers were away. All four of them had missions they needed to do, and they couldn't be distracted. Kai had asked if Voltaire could oversee the more important issues with HE while he was away, and gotten someone to help with the other matters.

Right now they were going to focus themselves entirely on the problem at hand – the Temple of Fates.

"We're going to come back soon Kiril..." Bryan whispered to the sleeping boy. He felt his heart constrict in his chest. "When we do...we'll be a family again, we promise...just give us some time...and wake up." He bit his lip and then walked back to him quickly and lay another kiss on the boy's hair line. "We love you little nephew...happy sixteenth birthday." Then he was gone.

He said goodbye to Adrien on the way out, and he started to make his way out of the hospital.

Perhaps it was because he was so concerned about what was happening in the future, what the mission was going to be, and what their schedules were going to be like. Perhaps it was because there were so many things that could go wrong. Perhaps it was because the school was weighing on his mind and was causing him to feel sick with worry.

Perhaps it was because Adrien was looking at him with such a look, that he couldn't bare it any longer. Perhaps it was because he had been in that room for four hours and if he dared to do it he would stay another five. Perhaps it was because all in all he couldn't handle it any more. He was tired, and sick, and weak, and he just wanted this whole mess to be over with.

Perhaps it was because of all of those reasons, but whatever it was....as he walked away and as he walked out of the hospital...he didn't look back.

He didn't look back to see Adrien signing himself out as well. He didn't look back to see the nurses turn off the lights, and close up the room. He didn't look back when he got in the car and was driven to the school. He didn't look back when he got out of the car and packed up his belongings.

Even as he got on the plane later that night, he didn't look back and he didn't walk back one more time.

His phone was turned off and left on his night stand. He used his mission phone only now. He couldn't have any unwanted calls.

He didn't check his emails.

He didn't check his computer.

He couldn't bare to look up any information on the subject.

He couldn't handle hacking into the hospital's database to check up on the boy just one last time.

Still, because of all of these things, as Bryan walked away, he didn't notice that Kiril's fingers had twitched on the bed that he was laying on.

He didn't notice that one lone tear had started to fall from under his left eye. He didn't notice, that slowly yet surely, Kiril Valkov Ivanov was getting one step closer to waking up.

**Windstar: As a final note to this project: over the past few weeks the devestation in Haiti has been growing. Please, even if you don't review this, please sent your support in any way that you can towards that country in need. Whether monetary or simply in prayer, it is my hope that they can get the help that they deserve at this time. God Bless.**


	13. Forever Yours No Matter What

**Windstar: **Another week, another chapter. I have to admit, working on the final part of this series is very difficult. There's a part of me that wants to say "bring on the angst and pathos" and then there's another part that's going "If I keep it up too much all my characters realistically would probably off themselves and there's been enough tragedy." So I'm caught in the middle between trying to figure out if I want a light hearted cheery story or another dark and depressing one.

Recently in my life I've had a lot of hits. I've been to a funeral over the weekend, and watching the decline of my family hasn't been easy. My boyfriend and I have gotten much closer during this time and supporting each other seems to be the best that we can do, unfortunately it doesn't help when physical deterioration comes into play. I suppose that's why the thrill of writing sad stories has started to leave me. Perhaps in my own experience I've seen too much sadness to want to continue writing. There isn't any threat for this story, it's already finished and it's just a matter of updating. As for One Hundred Chosen, that probably will either never be posted or be quite different then what I originally intended. For now, I make no assurances as to whether or not it will ever be on the internet. At the moment it looks bleak.

Thanks to my five reviewers who really make this series mean so much to me. You have been posting continuously since On The Three and I love all of you. You five really make my world go round, and your reviews just fuel the need for me to figure out what to do with OHC.

My best to you all!

Disclaimer: same as always.

**Chapter Twelve: **

When Kiril first opened his eyes, he found himself staring straight into the worried green eyes of his dearest friend and companion. At first he didn't understand what had just happened. He could only stare up at his friend in confusion, his eyes blinking slightly as he stared on and on. He opened his mouth, but he couldn't get any words out before arms were thrown around his neck and he was pulled into a bone crushing hug.

"Oh God, Kiril you're awake!" The boy groaned, but nodded. He raised a weak hand up to pat his friend on the back.

"What...what time is it?" He whispered softly as he looked at his companion.

"2342." He spit out instantly. Adrien pulled back sharply and grabbed a glass of water. "You're hoarse. Drink this." He gave the boy the cup and he thanked him softly before reaching to grab it. Still though, as his fingers closed around it, it slipped quickly from his grasp and started to fall to the floor. It was a miracle that Adrien caught it before it fell totally. Through it all though, he looked at him and stared at him in concern.

"Sorry..." The teen mumbled as he tried to focus his eyes. He was seeing double of everything. He couldn't focus very well.

"It's fine. Here." Adrien held it up again, and once more Kiril's fingers wrapped around the cup, but it started to slip once more. This time the brunette just held it around his companion's fingers and gently helped the boy to drink. "You're still weak...it'll go away with time...you haven't been using your muscles in a while."

"What...what do you mean?" His voice was sore and it was a burden to use, but he was adamant on continuing to talk...for some reason he'd been flooded with the feeling that something wasn't as it appeared.

"It's been almost six months...since...that day we went down the HQ." Adrien whispered slowly, and brown eyes snapped up to look at him in stunned shock.

"What...what happened to me?" He asked in awe. He raised a trembling hand to his forehead, but before Adrien could answer a female nurse had walked in and jumped in surprise at the sight of the boy being awake.

"Oh my...I'll go get a doctor!" She cried as she ran out and only moments later returned with a doctor on her heels.

"Mr. Ivanov, I see that you've decided its time to wake up...hm?" Kiril blinked up at him blearily

"What...what are you talking about?" He felt unusually sluggish, and extremely slow. Things just didn't make sense to his mind. It was muddled and complicated and he couldn't put two and two together. Or at least, two and two didn't seem to equal four just yet, and he was having a hard time understanding why the fuck that even mattered.

"It's been nearly half a year since you were first brought here, son-"

"I'm not your goddamn son." He snapped, and then blinked. _Where the hell had that come from? _Adrien raised an eyebrow at that, but he didn't take it back. It was the truth, and even though he was still exhausted, he wasn't going to let some stranger he just met call him his son. That right was reserved to one man who was - "Where's my father?" He whispered suddenly. He looked at Adrien who bit his lip. "Where's Tala?"

"Kiril...Tala's...he died six months ago...the day you were brought in..." Adrien whispered softly, and Kiril felt like he'd been punched in the gut.

"What?" Brown eyes widened, and tears were forming.

"He died." Adrien said it bluntly because he knew that sugar coating it wasn't going to change a thing. If Kiril was going to freak out again, it would happen either way. He knew though that Kiril wasn't going to react nicely to it regardless of how he said it.

A shaking hand raised and touched his head. He closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing as he tried to center his thoughts. He tried to focus intently and figure out what it was he was going to do.

"What's the last thing that you remember?" The doctor asked gently as he extracted a penlight from his pocket.

"Blood." Kiril mumbled as an image of Tala being thrown roughly into a wall and sliding down it. The sound of his father figure's broken voice as he gasped in pain. The sight of him struggling futilely to stand up. The image of the man walking towards him and gripping him by the throat...the image of the man strangling him and then the gun that was raised to- "Oh God." Tears were falling from his eyes. He looked up beseechingly to Adrien who bit his lip. "Wh-what about...everyone else?" His four uncles who were decidedly absent. Again.

"Bryan just left." Adrien admitted softly. "He was here for a while but then...then he left..."

"When?"

"Yesterday...he...he's got a job." Anger flashed across the boy's face.

"Where?" Adrien looked towards the doctor and nurse who were struggling to continue their diagnosis to see if the teenager was alright, but he wasn't being very cooperative. He was staring straight at Adrien and the brunette nodded.

"Mecca."

* * *

Despite Kiril's obvious intent to go hunting down on his Uncles, maybe even to enact some revenge on his own, his body physically could not handle the stress of doing something of the like. For the next two and a half months he was forced to stay in the hospital because his muscles had deteriorated so quickly. He needed to go through hours of physical therapy just to be able to walk normally, and after that he needed to regain control of his body in general.

He was a mess, and he needed to work at trying to get better. It was, perhaps, the only thing that gave the others more time to do what they needed to do in order to get more deeply involved with the Temple.

When all of them arrived there, they were not all too shocked to find that within moments of walking through the front door ("Fastest way to get there" Bryan had said happily when they'd made the plan) they were surrounded by armed guards who led them away. The four of them, because _Ivan _had decided to go along too, soon found themselves in a room that was extraordinarily frightening to behold.

There were no less then five Black Dranzer Servers that were all set up in the center room. On the side of the wall was a desk with several computers and monitors attached to it. At it was none other then Anna Jones who shot to her feet the moment they all walked through the door, her eyes wide and her face pale. Not too far away was a dark haired commander that they'd all thought had died.

"_Michaels_?!"

"Jesus Christ, what the hell are you all doing here?!" The man had awkwardly managed to get to his feet and Bryan was letting out a long slew of curse words and anyone could tell he was working hard not to unleash his anger on the nearest guard. His eyes were focused only on the mutilated arm that was staring straight back at him.

"I love how no one seems surprised to see me here." Anna muttered darkly under her breath, which earned her a round of withering glares from all four of the former Demolition Boys who were less then pleased with her attitude.

"Well we knew _you _were here, you were my oh so lovely contact Ms. Aida." Kai snapped as he glowered over to her.

"I'm so pleased you remember me." Her eyes moved away from them and glared at the man who had just walked in the room. "What are they doing here?" She hissed. "I thought we agreed they were a risk factor." He was waving her off.

"Oh they are, that's not what this is about. This is about the fact that _you _thought they were a risk factor." The man was smiling and her face turned beet red as she stared at him with open dislike. "Isn't that right _Anna?_" She bit back the most likely long and colorful string of curse words she could have said. Instead she took a deep breath and nodded.

"Si, nonno." She whispered in Italian. Kai's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and their eyes met for a brief moment before he scowled and looked away mumbling something about a suck up.

"Now...I'm sure you all aren't exactly pleased with my welcome...but I had to make sure you weren't going to be carrying any weapons that could be...dangerous in here." He was, of course, referring to the fact that when they had been surrounded by the guards; both of Kai's and Bryan's pistols had been taken away from them (including the flip knife Kai had and the butterfly knife Bryan had in in his pocket). Spencer's sawed off shotgun had been removed from his jacket, and Ivan's rifle had been taken away from him in pieces. The complaint that they were just beyblade launchers didn't go over all that well, and even though they gave their most appealing smiles – it hadn't worked. The only thing that they had been allowed to keep (and they weren't too keen on explaining just what lessons they learned in Balkov Abbey) were their beyblades.

The little toys hardly seemed like weapons that could be used to hurt anyone. Especially without their launchers. Who would have thought that the blades themselves could actually cut through skin easily enough and would have made quick work of any ignorantly offered jugular?

"Of course not, we get our jollies at having our things carried down for us, it saves us from having to make the stairs with them." Bryan answered back, tongue in cheek.

"Yes, we'd like to thank you for that, truly – those things get heavy at times." Kai added on.

Somewhere in the corner Michaels had cracked a grin. How long had it been since he had seen the witty banter that those men had been renowned for as children...could it really have been twelve years? Twelve long years? He deserved to have something to laugh about.

Apparently Senior Ottilia wasn't pleased with their act, he scowled and looked at them with narrowed eyes, but moved on. He couldn't say anything to the contrary. All he could do was go along with it.

"Well, if all goes well I regret to inform you, you will have to carry them with yourselves on your way out." They were ready this time though. Inspired by the slight grin their old mentor had given them, they were empowered.

"You know, I don't think I have ever seen someone carry _themselves _out." Bryan murmured, and Kai nodded.

"True, true, perhaps I'll just have to carry you out as well?"

"Now Kai, if you carried me out, who would carry our guns and _pointy _things out?"

"I believe he agreed to carrying _you _not your pointy thing Bry, and as for your guns, we always have Ian." Spencer cut in.

"I didn't agree to any of this, I thought I was just going to be carrying my gun out and leave it at that." Ivan complained (for the first time not correcting Spencer since it wouldn't do well here. It seemed that nicknames and aliases were ruined since everyone knew quite well enough who they were). All three turned and looked at him with pointed expressions.

"That's kind of lazy of you but, okay." Kai sighed, shaking his head. It was one of the more civil things he was thinking. After all their time struggling to get back to the normalcy of the past, he could have said a lot worse.

"Lazy? Bryan's being carried!" He pointed out, and Bryan gripped his heart.

"But it is taking so much emotional stress for me to be carried, my heart just may break!" The older man didn't seem to know what to do or say about their comedy rutine, but even Anna was struggling to keep the corners of her mouth down. Michaels couldn't handle it though, he snorted and tried to disguise it with a cough. Anna made a show of hitting him on the back as he couldn't control himself and started to cough even harder.

"Well...as long as everything is in order..." The man mumbled, and Kai took control of the situation easily enough. He waved him off easily as though he were nothing but a worm. Years of practice at HE had helped him with such things.

"I must apologize." He didn't sound very sorry. "You see this is the first time the four of us really have been able to spend some time together due to all the chaos with my brother..." Michael straightened slightly, the smile vanishing from his face. Anna looked pointedly in the other direction. "We tend to try to make light of any situation that comes our way. Always good to run things with a smile, thats what I always say." There was a glimmer of something that made the girl frown and look towards them. Kai met her gaze, but very quickly they broke contact.

Senior Ottilia was watching.

"I'm sure you all recognize these machines for what they are." The man said as he started to draw attention back towards the BD Servers in the room. Kai scowled once more and looked back at Anna with ire in his eyes.

"Yes, I wonder just who could have been responsible for that little development." She felt blood rushing to her face and Michaels' hand on her shoulder. Senior laughed and nodded.

"Yes you can thank my lovely grandchild here." He motioned towards her and she made a comment about how blood ran thicker then water. Kai clenched his fists at that, and Bryan looked down at his hand where a long scar ran down it. A scar that was etched on the hands of thirty odd people at the school...four of whom who were in this very room. "We have five pilots." He continued as he looked at the men who nodded briefly.

"Are they actually any good?" Spencer asked as he forced himself to not look at Kai who was the only person to actually be able to bend Black Dranzer to do whatever it is he wanted it to do with little to no reprecussions. Over the years he had trained with the blade to make it answer him on command without the constant negative feedback that he was getting whenever he'd used it in the past. Unless Anna had told the man this, then Kai would be fine. If she had...Kai might just end up staying in this complex...without his gun.

"They're in the trial phase...we've lost quite a few pilots over the years and so we're starting off new with these kids." The man answered, waving the question off. "They're the best the world has to offer, isn't that right Anna?" The girl glanced up at him.

"Si, nonno." She replied softly. Kai actually had to smirk at that. Looks like Anna hadn't exactly been forthcoming with the information regarding the Black Dranzer Server.

"I understand that as the phoenix's former master you have some control over the system yourself Kai." Or not. Kai shook his head through, his eyes glancing over the server with disdain.

"It's been years since I've tried a hack, especially of the caliber you would require with the BDS. My guess is I'd be no better then a child in comparison to your...elite hackers. Unlike people like my brother...who were hacking into systems almost every day, I was working in an office with very little connection to that world. It's been a good twelve years or so since I tried to work the system. I gave up doing things like that a long time ago." He replied easily, the lie rolling off his tongue with such a silky smoothness that you could drink it with a spoon.

"Is that a fact? You wouldn't mind...a little demonstration then?" Kai raised an eyebrow at that.

"You want me to run it, see how I do?" He asked slowly to make sure he understood.

"Yes. I do." Kai nodded easily enough and removed his jacket. He tossed it over to Ivan who caught it easily enough.

"Go easy on me Dama, wouldn't want me to end up writhing on the floor again now would we?" He asked as he gave her a pointed look. She nodded slowly, sitting at her computer with a frown. Senior nodded over towards one of the machines, and Kai plopped himself into the chair that Three had been using before hand. Michaels moved over and passed him a spare helmet that he would need to put on to activate the system, and he thanked him quietly.

"Don't over do it..." Michaels warned softly before returning to Anna's side.

The Officers held their breath though. They all knew that Kai _could _use the system. They also knew that Kai could dismantle the system at anytime he wanted too. It was a simple matter of putting the puppeteer behind the strings that wound the puppet. All it would take was a snip of his scissors and the puppet would break. He could destroy the system in those few moments that he was connected to it.

He wasn't going too though. He needed the system to stay in place for just a little while longer. They weren't ready for this yet, and they didn't have nearly enough proof. So it was a matter of give and take. The BDS2 that he had used in the past did not have Black Dranzer attached to it whereas the original design did. That worked to his advantage. It was easier to control without the bird. So he had two options. He could either flub the entire thing and just pass out, or he could ace the entire thing and earn a spot within the ranks of the pilots.

There were five pilots. If he beat any of them...one of them would most likely be disposed of. If he didn't become a pilot, then he was going to not be involved with the inner workings of the system. He wasn't going to be as well informed...but if he became a pilot one of them would die. Which one though? Which one would die? Was it worth the risk?

"Anna. If you will." Senior commanded, and she nodded slowly. Her skilled and practiced fingers loaded up the system and started to type away into the computer.

"Get through the door." She ordered softly. A small smirk echoed on Kai's face. Okay. He could do that without a problem. It was the first thing that anyone did when they entered the system.

When he had been in Italy while Anna and Luka had been in hiding, he had gotten through the door in less then a minute and was flying through the program easily enough. The BDS2 was not a stressful system...until you tried to get out. Then it would dig its talons into you and refuse to let go. He opened his eyes to the digital world, and his task began.

The door was easily enough recognizable, and he sighed as he looked at it. Talk about pathetic. Still, he knew better then to make things too obvious and so he waited, and watched. At least, that was what it looked like he was doing. Instead he was creating a worm hole. It would bury under the door's block and it would lead him to the other side.

_Anna_. To her credit, the girl didn't jump when the words appeared on her screen. It was almost as though she expected the action. She typed back, annoyed.

_What do you want?  
_

_First, quit the God damn attitude of yours. Unless I'm mistaken they can't see this._

_They can't. Now what do you want? Why are you here?_

_I think Tala is alive. _From behind her Michaels started looking at the screen too, reading the conversation with avid interest.

_You said the ISA killed him._

_They might have...it _was _a trap. I think he was captured._

_Why are you telling me this? I'm not your ally anymore. _The words were bitter to hear, but even Kai could see through the facade. Even Kai could see what she was trying to say.

_The Temple of Fates were the ones who were responsible for capturing him. I'm pretty certain of that. _

_He's not here. I would have seen him. _

_Maybe, maybe not. Still though, have you seen _anyone _who could pass for him?_

_No- _She hesitated. _Yes. There's a hacker. He used a wormhole just like you're doing now. _

_Are you going to turn me in?_

_What?_

_Are you going to turn me in? If I tell you more are you going to betray me like you did him and your child seven years ago? _

_Kiril? How is he? Is he alright?_

_Are you going to turn me in?_

Now they were at a standstill. Kai wouldn't say more unless she agreed with him. She couldn't agree with him until she knew what was going on. As much as there was bad blood between them after all this time...she couldn't just ignore what she wanted to do or say. She wasn't there by choice...she wasn't there because she hated her friends...she was there because she loved them. So the answer was obvious.

_No. Now. How's Kiril?_

_In the hospital. _

_What happened? _For a moment she was scared that the Temple had gotten to them too.

_He acted like a complete idiot and decided to sneak into the ISA Headquarters and go to the Situation Room while I was running intel on the mission Tala was caught on. He watched Tala supposedly die. _

_How can someone supposedly die, Kai?_

_How can someone supposedly hate their would be fiance and adopted son? _He countered, his words bitter, and she flinched at them.

_I don't hate them. _She hoped those words sounded stronger to him then it did to her.

_I know. It's why Tala got caught in the first place...if he's still alive. _

_What do you mean? _

_This mission wasn't for us. We weren't necessarily doing this because of the drug trade. _

_What do you mean?_

_Tala did this mission with the intent to get captured by the Temple of Fates. He intended to be used as a pilot. _

_Why the hell did he do that?!_

_Because he wanted to see you again. _

Michaels' eyes widened at the screen, his face turning pale at the words. He looked at Anna who's eyes were filling with tears. She looked like she was about to break down at that particular moment. She looked like she just wanted to lay down and die.

_How did he know-_

_He saw your hacks in the BBA, and he started to back hack them._

_I never left a trail._

_Yes you did, you left one on purpose. It was just enough for him to follow it. He spent years watching your hacks and looking at your work. It didn't take him long to find where you were or what you were doing. He knew from the start you'd created a BD server. He decided that he was going to get captured, they wouldn't kill him because he'd proven himself as a pilot in the past. He's blood bound to the system. He's one of the only two people in the world that can control it to its full extent. _

_Kiril...is Kiril alright?_

_He's been in a coma for six months. _She did gasp at that, one hand flying to her mouth. Senior frowned and started to move towards them, and she glanced up at him sheepishly.

"What's going on?" The man asked as he looked at her screen. All he saw were zeros and ones.

"His vital signs are all over the place." She told him softly. It wasn't a lie either. Through their conversation, despite his obvious control over the system, he had been forcing the server to take chunks out of him. Right now he was tachycardic (extremely fast pulse) and experiencing dyspnea (shallow and or labored breathing that occurs naturally when exerting energy in a physical activity). Neither were exactly making him feel better, but it was the best that he could accomplish at the moment. In a little while he'd go for the more drastic methods and start dicking with his blood pressure. Right now this was good enough.

"Could he be doing this to himself on purpose?" The man asked. He was sharp for an old coot.

"It's possible, but these signs mirror those of all the other test subjects in the past. All of them have experienced similar readings." She replied honestly. "It's part of the BDS sickness." It was what they had called the extreme reaction to the system. The illness that could kill if not taken care of – meaning if the pilot stayed in too long. "Next would be an extreme rise in BP – it's already showing signs of being elevated due to his tachycardia. His temperature will rise to a moderate fever level. If that continues it will only get higher and could eventually burn him out." They'd lost ten people like that. "After the temperature rises, the stomach usually ends up upchucking bile-"

"I get the point. For now it's just the first stage?"

"Yes sir."

"Continue monitering."

"Yes sir." Even as he looked away though, she was back to talking to Kai.

_What happened to him?_

_He saw Tala supposedly die. _

_What happened to Luka?_

_He was being hunted down, like some animal. _They could practically hear the seething quality in his voice. He was terribly broken up about everything. _The bastards started to set off explosions, and he was already shot a few times. He got thrown and he was knocked out for a while. We had to hack in to him to even get him to open his eyes for us to see what was going on._

_You're using his LXCom like that on a mission? _Her tone was disproving. She knew how he felt about that LXCom.

_Yes. He told us to. We got a first hand show of what it looked like for someone to be thrown about the room because of bombs going off. Then a man came and grabbed him by the head and raised his gun to his face. Everything went black on our end. All our surveillance died. We heard the shot, but we couldn't see what happened. _

_He's alive. _

_Excuse me? _Anna could hardly keep her face neutral. She could hardly keep the joy in her heart down.

_He's alive. If he were dead he would have opened his eyes and lost control of the system. You all would have been able to see the aftermath. Even if he wasn't able to open his eyes, you'd be able to see everything anyway because he would have lost control of the surveillance cameras. He's alive!_

_Then he's somewhere in this temple. _

_Pilot two. They hack the exact same way._

_Thank God..._

_Kai, about what happened- _She jumped when the warning bells started to go off. Looking over to them she blinked a few times before she realized that despite their conversation, Kai was still a consumate lier. His blood pressure was reaching near dangerous levels. His temperature had increased dramatically. A small trail of blood was leaking from the corner of his mouth. "Sir...this experiment will only kill him if we continue." She told her grandfather softly.

"Keep going. I want to see just how long he'll pretend he can't do anything." The man waved off her concern easily. She nodded, and looked back at her screen.

_I have a son. _She told him quickly.

_The baby? Luka's son? _He clarified quickly. She affirmed.

_Yes. They're holding him as liability over me. If I try to leave they'll kill him. _

_That time...you didn't have an abortion...we were all so worried Bryan had either killed him or -_

_They forced a C-section on me at seven months. Dmitri barely survived._

_Is that his name?_

_Dmitri Nikoli Korg Ivanov. _Kai was quiet for a long while, his mind running in a thousand directions at once. He tried to focus himself, but that only served to make his dyspnea get weaker. Struggling to maintain the facade he thought long and hard about the name.

The first name didn't really mean much to him. It was Russian and a clear point to his heritage. Still, it wasn't the first name that made Kai freeze in his seat. It was the middle and last name that she had named the child. Not Dmitri Jones, no instead, Dmitri Nikoli Korg Ivanov.

A tribute to their fathers who meant so much to them and were murdered respectively by each of their families. Nikoli; Tala, Kai, and Mikhail's father who had been murdered by Boris....and Korg, Anna's adoptive father who was murdered by her mafia ridden family. Ivanov; Tala, Kai, and Mikhail's true last name. Kai went by Hiwatari nowadays simply because he was running HE. Even he would admit that he wouldn't mind going by Sacha Ivanov.

The name carried so much meaning behind it. It was a tribute to their families and fathers who would never meet their grandchild. It was a tribute to Kai and Tala and Mikhail who had all been dear friends of hers. It was a spit in the eye to her family who was stealing her child away from her and who had murdered her father. It was something else though. Nikoli...that name was making him remember someone, a very dear someone that he wanted desperately to be safe. He forced that thought from his head and concentrated on the now. He couldn't think about that boy...he couldn't.

_Thank you Anya. _He whispered softly, and she watched as he pulled up a few more programs. Still invisible to the outside world, he hacked through various systems the Temple had until he found an image of the child. Red hair and blue eyes, he looked exactly like his father. _He's beautiful. _Anna closed her own eyes now for a brief moment.

_I can't leave here Kai. They'll kill him...or take him away. I'll never see him again. _

_I understand. _

_I didn't want to build the servers, I didn't want to do any of this. _

_I know._

_I'm so sorry, I couldn't do anything to stop this - _

_Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine Anna. Believe it or not, we actually do have a plan. _

_Really, you with a plan? Now when did that come in?_

_Well, when our fearless leader was taken from us and our best girl went missing we had no choice but to start looking after ourselves. _

_Speaking of best girls...how's Adeline? _Kai was silent and the vital signs reported that his temperature was now at one-o-three. He was getting sandbagged by this server.

_I can't tell you now. _He wrote back at long last. _She's...safe...and...we're-_ He hadn't actually typed the periods, but the words had come so far between that the lag was recorded.

Kai physically lurched forward in his seat, blood was falling from his lips and he rolled over on his side, coughing up blood and bile as he entered into the critical phase of Server Sickness. Anna shot to her feet, eyes wide and face pale.

"Sit down and keep working." Senior hissed as he glowered at her.

"Sir, he's-"

"_Sit down _or I'll make it a year before you see your brat again!" The other Officers stiffened at those words and her legs all but collapsed from underneath her. She fell heavily into the chair and she stared at Kai who was gasping for breath. He was pulling the plug on this server, and the answer was obvious.

He wasn't going to go past the door. Despite his clear ability to hack and his knowledge of the system, it was too much of a risk. One of the people he would take the place of could very well be Tala. He was not going to risk his brother's life.

He coughed up more blood, and one of his hands left the arm rest it was supposed to stay at to grip his mouth as it came leaking from him. His heart was pounding faster and faster, his temperature read one-o-four point five. He was dying and he needed to stop now. Anna couldn't make the call though, she could only stare.

"If you don't make him stop now, he's going to die." Spencer told Senior softly, looking at his long time friend stonily. The man glanced back to him.

"I can assure you, it is not my intent to see him die. He should be able to do this program, if he can't, he's just procrastinating. He won't commit suicide. Eventually he'll get through that door." He said easily enough.

"Kai hasn't hacked into anything for twelve years. He may not even be able to do this. If you make him, though, you're going to lose out on a very big point."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Kai owns Black Dranzer. The real one. With it, you'd be able to make your servers ten times more powerful. Only he knows where it is, or what the password for using her is. So if you keep him in there, and you let him die – you're fucking yourself hard." Bryan replied, eyes narrowing as the horribly pathetic sound of his dear friend coughing blood up grated on his ears.

Senior was daring, but he wasn't a fool. Instantly he ordered Anna to let Kai out of the system, and she did without further delay. Within seconds she was running around the desk towards him. He pushed the helmet off his head as he blinked back into reality, just a moment before doubling over and falling onto his knees. He coughed painfully as he tried to steady himself.

"Kai!" She gasped as she took him by the shoulders. He gripped her hand though, his eyes boring into her own, and she recoiled slightly at the burning look in his eyes. He was smoldering her with his gaze. He was melting her with his ire.

Their talk never happened. They never resolved their issues. She was the enemy now, and he _hated _her.

She reeled back, standing away, one fist clenched around the small object that Kai had pressed into her palm. She held onto it even as the other Officers went to check on their companion. She held onto it as they ironically carried Kai after Senior who was motioning them towards an area where he could rest.

Only when she was alone in the room with only Michaels as her companion, did she finally look down to see what it was she had. Her eyes filled with tears. There were two rings attached to a chain with a locket between them in her palm. The first one she recognized from years ago. It was the fake engagement ring that Kai had slid on her finger when Tala had been in the hospital after the tournament. It was the only way to get her into her love's hospital room. It was slightly different now though.

On the inside was an engraving that had been put in by someone, and as she read it, she realized quite suddenly that this wasn't simply the same ring from before. It had been altered, the stones were slightly different, and the band was expanded so that it would have fit an adult and not a teenager.

_No matter what – Luka _

The message was written in clear cursive and tears started to flood down her cheeks. It was an engagement ring all right. The engagement ring she'd never received because she had left with her family. The ring that her dearest one could never have given her. Funny, how Kai always seemed to be giving her engagement rings for Tala. Funny, how she always accepted the proposal even though Tala hadn't been the one to give it.

Funny, how right now she wished that Tala had given it to her before she left, because she wanted to keep this ring now and forever. It was the ring she'd been denied for so long, and she longed to just fall into those arms of her dearest one and say 'yes, yes, I do!' But such are dreams left only for the wicked.

She shuddered slightly and looked at the second ring. It was plain gold. Nothing was special about it, it was just plain gold. She frowned slightly as she looked at it, and she ran her fingers along it until she found the hidden message engraved inside the band.

_Forever yours – Adeline _

She blinked once. Twice. Then her mouth dropped. No...fucking...way...

Fumbling quickly she opened the locket and her heart stopped right there in her chest. Michaels came up behind her and looked at what she was looking at, and he cursed.

"They're in over their heads...he never should have come here. He should have stayed away!" Michaels hissed. Anna could only nod as she closed the treasure that Kai had entrusted her with. If her family ever found out about what that locket contained, Kai's precious secret would be lost forever. He too would be a slave and servent working for the Temple. She knew he wouldn't choose a different path then the one she'd chosen.

She felt her body stiffen as she tried to keep herself calm and focused. She tried to push the memories of the contents of that locket out of her mind...but most importantly, she tried to ignore the fact that there was a golden band with a Princess's name on it that was claiming herself to be Kai's...a statement that is only found on one type of ring...and that ring could very well cause a war should he be killed.


	14. Oh Child, Where Art Thou?

**Windstar: **I'm posting this a bit earlier then intended. In all honesty, since I only get about five reviews anyway for this story - I figure after I get around that amount it's meaningless to hold out any longer. Especially because this story is delightfully finished. It's good to see that everyone's all curious about the rings. Hearing everyone's enthusiasm on the topic has even got me excited. This is an "explaining" chapter I suppose. I hope you all enjoy!

On another note, thank you very much to everyone who's expressed their regards to my current situation. It means a lot to me to hear your kind words. Best wishes to you all!

Disclaimer: Same.

PS: A quick quiz: which line has been repeated in both this chapter, last chapter, and OTT? A cookie to the winner...metaphorically at least.

**Chapter Thirteen: **

Three was bored out of his fucking mind. The most that he'd been accomplishing over the past few hours had been staring up at the ceiling and counting the various nicks in the masonry. It wasn't a particularly enjoyable task, nor was it at all entertaining, but it had its purposes. (Although it did have him thinking about the _Cask of Amontillado_, which soon had him thinking about how good it would be to feel totally plastered right now.) Still though, he had amusement in other ways as well.

For instance, if someone asked him: how many nicks are there in the ceiling; he could answer without a doubt that there were four thousand seven hundred and ninety two nicks in the ceiling. Why this had any importance at all was easily answered by; 'it shows that I'm simply not doing nothing'.

Of course none of this made him feel entertained, or even made him feel at all at ease with the situation as it stood. He was annoyed at the fact that he had been able to count all the nicks, and he wondered if he had counted too many or too little. That train of thought made him decide he was going to count them over again. A vague question of insanity flitted through his mind, but he ignored it. Still, counting was hard. When he was at seventeen hundred and fifty nine nicks the door to his cell was thrown open and he came face to face with Ivan Papov. The small man raised his eyebrow at the sight, but didn't otherwise react. He marched in the room and handed him a plate of food.

"Why thank you." He said politely as he reached for it.

"Don't thank me, thank the _family_." Three found himself laughing at that and nodded along.

"I will when I see them, and who might you be, Mr. Guard?" The other frowned.

"I'm not your guard. More of a delivery boy while the others are helping out a friend."

"Well that's very nice of them. I hope everything works out." He smiled brightly, the only part of his face that Ivan could see and the other nodded along.

"You're rather polite considering your situation."

"Oh I just take things with a smile."

"I can see that."

"Besides, at least this way I get fed semi decent food opposed to the awful muck I usually ate back home!"

"If you can call that food." Ivan motioned towards the plate of mush and the bread the other was using to absorb the gook.

"It's very good – nutritional too!"

"Right...well...I'm going to be leaving now."

"I hope your friend is doing well." Three said smiling up at him, and Ivan nodded briefly, clearly odded out by the exchange. The door closed and locked and that was that. Three sighed and the smile faded from his face. He looked back at the mush and felt his stomach tense slightly as he thought about eating it. "Bastard midget didn't give me any pepper in my gook."

Down the hall somewhat, Two was not counting ceiling nicks. In fact, he was contemplating how the hell to get out of this hell hole. His chest burned from where they had put a brand on it, and even though it had been months he'd gotten far too many infections there for it to fully heal.

He'd been extremely close to dying that one point, and so his immune system hadn't been up to keeping infections from the sore. His hand pressed against it and he hissed slightly as he tried to ignore the burning sensation. The door opened and he glanced over towards it.

"Ian?" He could hardly believe what he was seeing, and the other stared at him for a moment before frowning.

"What happened to mission protocol?" Ivan asked simply as he glanced over to him.

"Didn't realized getting captured on a mission meant that I was still adhering to it."

"Well now you do."

"When did _you _come back in the fold?" Two asked as he pushed himself up from where he had been laying down and stared at Ian intently.

"Since you two decided to get caught." He answered back with a frown.

"Nice to know we're so loved. How's everyone doing?"

"They're doing fine, if you don't count the fact that Kiril's in the hospital." Ivan murmured softly as he looked at the other. Two shot up faster then the eye could see. He was on his feet and he was heading towards Ivan in a flash.

"What the hell do you mean he's in the hospital?"

"He saw you two get caught...he went into shock and has been in a coma for the past eight months as far as we know..." Two's face was paler then pale. "Doctors haven't said that anything is wrong with him besides, more like he's taking a nap or something..."

"Adrien?"

"He's been watching out for him."

"Adeline?"

"She's in hiding." Ivan looked at Two closely. "Look, you need to be careful, do you understand what I'm saying? You can't just talk to us like everything's okay. We're all on mission here."

"Yeah, I know, but-"

"Calm yourself, we'll take care of things on our end if you take care of things on yours." Two nodded, biting his lip. "You can't let them know that we know you two are in here. Kai told Anna about you, but you cant let anyone know that she's on the look out for you both."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. She looks good." He was smiling. Ivan nodded.

"Yeah...she does...now you should get some rest. You've got a long hard day ahead of you." Two nodded and watched as Ivan walked out of the door. Sighing heavily he closed his eyes and prayed.

Prayed for the little boy that was at such a complete loss and was so completely alone in the world.

* * *

It would be another two months before anything of significant happened next. In that time, Kiril Ivanov was finding that he was growing more and more pissed off at his family members.

"I'm telling you, I don't care what they're doing I want to figure out what the fuck they're up to." Kiril hissed as he stalked out of the hospital and straight into the car that they had prepared to take them back to the campus. Adrien was trailing behind him feeling foolish, but he just couldn't help it. He didn't know what else to say. "You don't know where they are?"

"All I know was that they're in Mecca. I don't know why."

"Well I'm going to find out."

It didn't take long for them to make it to headquarters. The driver hadn't been exactly keen to let them go in, but they hadn't really given him a choice. They got out and they made it into the building. After a few minutes of fumbling around and avoiding guards, the two boys made it to Bryan's office.

They figured he'd be the best bet since he was the last one that had left. He would have the most information on what was going on. Kiril sat down at the computer, and once again they closed the blinds to the room and waited in silence as Kiril did his work.

Bryan's computer was a little bit harder then Tala's, and it took a bit more time, but in the end – Kiril got in just as he had before. He'd had been trained in the past on how to get into things like this, it was just one of the many things they learned in the Abbey. His brother's and Kai's were the hardest to get into without the password. They literally set up firewalls that were impossible to get through. The very fact that Kiril knew his password was the only reason he got in. Now though...now was just a matter of good hacking.

He opened up a series of files and started to look through them, when one file in particular caught his attention. _FO1MIA. _Freedom Officer 1...Tala...Missing in Action. He double clicked it, and waited, his eyes running through it as slowly his heart dropped into his stomach.

Kiril stared at the file he had just opened. Adrien was standing just a little ways behind him, his face pale and his eyes wide. Clearly he was having difficulty accepting what he was watching as well. Kiril though…he was in shock. His heart had all but stopped in his chest. A few things stuck out in his mind. First and foremost:

One – Anna Jones was alive and well in Mecca.

Two – She was working for the same people who had been responsible for Marcus' death all those years ago.

Three – Tala was supposedly killed by that same group.

Four – He might still be alive. They may have captured him…and by capture (he was using the term lightly) he meant enslave him, pin him down to a table, and torture him until he was so delirious from pain and so close to actual death that there was a chance he really wasn't alive in the first place.

Photos had appeared before him. Images of a delirious red head who was being branded cruelly with an iron that was more appropriate for cattle then in relation to any type of human. Kiril wouldn't have wished this on his worst enemy – which at the moment was turning very much into Anna herself. His heart was literally burning with hatred for her as he read the file that was discussing the actions that she had done over the past few years; actions that had led to the horrible mistreatment of Tala and included young Alessandar who was still MIA along with his commander.

Blue eyes haunted Kiril as he stared at the photos that appeared on Bryan's desktop. Blue eyes that were dizzy with pain and wide with shock. At twenty eight years of age, Tala was completely and totally broken as he stared up at the camera. He looked horrible and he didn't look like he was at all, in any way, capable of trying to get a hold of his faculties.

Anger coursed through Kiril's body as he read the information that was presented before him. Hot burning anger ate like fire to wood as he stared at the screen. His brother stared back, stared back in a pleading way that he had never had in the past. After everything that had happened in that man's life, this had to have been the worst. Kiril had never once seen his brother beg. He'd never once seen his brother plead for anything. Tala easily took what he wanted without caring in the slightest about what it took to get there. In that photo though…Tala was broken.

He hated Anna for daring to be involved with the group that had caused this. Inadvertently her involvement had to have in some way affected Tala who was pleading with whoever it was that was watching to stop the actions that were occurring to stop. He had fallen from grace…and it was her fucking fault. It was her fault. She had been responsible for it. He knew it! He knew it!

Tala, who had lived a lifetime of pain and suffering, was dying or dead. It wasn't pretty either way. None of the images that were on Bryan's computer were pretty. The redhead had suffered, could still be suffering. For ten long months sweet Tala…gentle Tala…had been going through this treatment.

His brother, his father, his role model, and the one person he wanted to impress more than any other. Anna had torn out his soul. Now she had played a part in destroying his body. She had played a part in this torture, even if it was simply her interactions with the organization that was responsible for it.

Ever since the crash all those years ago, Tala had had a bad reaction to fire. He had always been fine with it before; Kiril could easily recall times in that once happy life that Tala had been playing with it. He would laugh and joke around with Kai. They would act like nothing could hurt them. For what else could? What else could hurt them now that they had survived the Abbey?

But after the crash, after that plane had fallen to the ground and scorched him brutally and left him with a severe disability for the longest time – he was different. He was very different. He couldn't play with the fire like he used to. He couldn't laugh and joke and tease Kai about it. He couldn't even look at it. He maintained a terrible and severe fear of fire that was prevalent in almost anything he did.

Kai used to tease him. He would send a puff of smoke here, or a blaze there. Now he was lucky if Dranzer could even be seen. There was something in Tala's eyes that ignited such a fear when he saw the flames of burning embers. His fingers would inch towards his legs and he would cast his eyes downwards. Shame seemed to play through his body when he saw Dranzer.

The bird oddly wasn't teasing any longer. It wasn't happy and cuddly like it used to be. Whenever she was around the ice child, she would gently rest her head on Tala's shoulders almost enveloping him in her wings. Tears would always fall from Tala's eyes and he would always apologize. Again and again, sobbing heart-breakingly to the bird for reasons no one but Kai ever seemed to understand. Kai would look away and if someone was caught watching the sight he would send them away.

No one was allowed to view those private moments in which Tala's heart broke…and no one understood why it was that such occurrences happened in the first place. Kiril never did. He never understood it. Perhaps it was because the last time he'd witnessed such events had been right when he had at long last returned to the school and he was so heart broken by everything he couldn't understand.

The Officers probably knew what had happened…but that didn't matter. Ian buried his head in the sand and walked out on them, Bryan and Spencer never talked about it, and Kai was the all knowing and all concealing.

So no one could explain why it was Tala had always apologized to Dranzer. Kai never spoke about what he'd done to help Tala walk again…to heal his wounds. Kai never said anything about how he'd saved his brother's life, but from the horrible sadness that would overcome them whenever Tala was near the bird of healing, one could only guess.

Besides Dranzer though, Tala couldn't handle even a small flame. Candles even made him start awkwardly. It was why the branding truly had been a needlessly cruel show of torment towards the young man who was broken enough by any and all thoughts of fire.

Tala's eyes had grown wide and in the photo one could easily see the rigid fear that raced through his body. He was hyperventilating. Tears were in his eyes. He gasped – you could see it! You could see his terrified gasp of fear as he stared at the brand as it came closer and closer.

That burning hot iron that would crease into his skin and mark him for the rest of his life. It had been cooking right in front of him. His wrists were tied down to the table. He was struggling. You could see the blood seeping from his wrists as he stared at the brand that was coming closer and closer. Sweat had started to bead on his forehead. He was already horribly wounded from the explosions, and now this...

If you watched the pictures in sequence you could see it all. You could see the horrified widening of his eyes, the muscles on his stomach tightening as his abs tried to push himself up. You could see the muscles of his arms rippling as he tried to tug at the bonds that held him down. He screamed to the gag – you could see his throat constricting!

The sounds it must have made, you could hear the Arabic now; the Arabic and Italian that was mixed together into a conglomerate of dark and overbearing words that were all aimed at frightening him. Were they laughing? Yes, Kiril could see it in the background. They were laughing at him. Laughing at the man that was going to be marked like cattle. The wolf that was chained down like a dog.

Kiril only had to close his eyes and he could imagine the fighting spirit his brother must have maintained. From what he remembered, his brother had been half out of his mind. He had been thrown heavily into various walls; he'd been shot numerous times. He was bleeding painfully. He was in so much pain before that he was concussed and unfocused. He had been delirious then.

Now…what was he now? It didn't take much to guess. Now he was even worse.

They had branded his chest as a warning, but Kiril couldn't help but note that all it did was give him the brief bit of hope that it meant that his beloved older brother was still alive.

You could see the horrible pain. You could see the terrible fear. Kiril's heart broke as he stared at his gentle brother's clear trauma. A part of him wished that he were dead. At least then the redhead wouldn't be so scared…

But he wasn't dead. He was still alive…they didn't show them killing him. They showed them branding him. Branding him as though he were livestock…but branding him none the less. He was alive…and there would be no point in branding dead livestock. It was an oxymoron.

"Adrien." Kiril ordered as he closed everything down and looked up at his friend. The younger teen nodded to show that he was aware. "We're leaving."

"Where to?"

"Mecca. How's your Arabic?"

"My French is better... yours?" Kiril smiled.

"Like my brother would have let me slide with anything less then perfect." Adrien nodded. He'd been modest before, he was perfectly fluent – same as Kiril.

The dark anger that coursed through Kiril could not be denied. Even Adrien understood that. Despite their constant fighting, Tala was Kiril's world. He was Kiril's everything. He wouldn't be able to handle it if he didn't get his revenge. He wanted to know the facts. Was Luka alive? Was he dead? Could he kill Anna because she killed Luka? He was pissed off. He was seething mad, and he was seeing red.

Damn Anna for being so cruel. Damn her to hell! Tala didn't deserve what she had given him.

The pair left the ISA and went back to the school. They had all watched the older boys when they prepared for missions, what did they need? Very simply:

They needed guns.

They needed knives.

They needed a communication device.

They needed a laptop

They needed mission parameters.

They needed ground intel.

Very few of these things did they actually have.

It didn't matter though. They both were seeing red and they both wanted to get vengeance for what was done to their dearest Commander. Tala Ivanov was family, and he was someone that all of Russia should have grieved for. Not just Kai who was not only losing his brother but also Adeline and -

The door opened to their room and the two looked up quickly to stare at the blonde who all but appeared out of nowhere. She was looking at them with calculating eyes that could see through everything. She seemed to be back to her normal self again, and she wasn't showing signs of distress at all, but seeing as how she was there – they were instantly chastened. They knew she wouldn't approve.

"You're going to get yourselves killed if you go to Mecca." She told them softly as she looked at what they were doing.

"We're not-"

"Don't take me for a fool Kiril, I've known you both since you were nothing but toddlers!" She snapped, walking forwards into the room. She grabbed Kiril and Adrien and forced them onto a bed so they were sitting down and looking up at her. Clearly she had more strength to her then her body made it seem like she did. For being so small, she had quite the commanding aura. Must have come with the territory when she was dubbed a Princess."I know how you both think! If you two aren't always running around causing trouble then I wouldn't know what to think. It's been four months Kiril! Four months since you woke up and you've already started to cause trouble!"

"I'm not causing trouble I'm getting out of your hair. You have enough things to worry about with-"

"I know!" She snapped, her bright eyes glaring down at him. "Don't you think I know that! Don't you think it's on my mind every second of every day!? But you're my family too! You're my nephew! I'm not going to just sit here and watch you go off and get yourself killed just because you're too stubborn to sit this one out!"

Kiril scowled as he looked up at her. He did _not _want to hear the family speech from _her. _She was _not _his family. Even though technically she could be considered his Aunt, she was not his blood relation...on that note. Neither was Kai. He knew that the Officers had all shared blood at some point or other, but that didn't make Kai family in anything but name. Regardless of how close Tala had been to him, they were not the same.

A cold shudder ran through his body. _Then why do you take Kai's true name as your own? _And he responded: _Why does Tala take Kai's true name as his own? _To which it replied: _Because sometimes it isn't about blood. _

Sometimes it was about love.

Adeline loved him, he knew that. In some odd way he knew that he loved her too. He wanted to keep her safe. He wanted to keep her from harm...

But that didn't mean he was just going to let her get away with yelling at him. He was already pissed off at Anna. Now Adeline was simply adding on to everything. He was not impressed, and he did not like it at all. He felt himself growing more and more pissed off at her. How dare she tell him what to do. She was no better then Anna. Manipulative and conniving she just wanted to be in charge of everything and she wasn't really doing it to help them...No she was just being a nuisance!

He got to his feet and his temper flared even harder as she looked down at him with clear defiance and with total cool. His fist clenched, and she simply raised an eyebrow as though she were asking him if he knew exactly what he was doing. He did. He knew he did. In his mind he saw Anna standing before him. Anna who betrayed him, who killed his brother, Anna who was responsible for all their turmoil and why he couldn't have a normal family. He drew his hand back and she stayed motionless, but even as it let it fly he knew it would never get there. He sensed Adrien moving.

The brunette caught the fist before it even thought about connecting with Adeline's pretty face. Adrien was staring at him with cool passivity, not apologizing in the least. He looked at him calmly and even though Kiril was horribly pissed off at his friend, he knew that he had done right by reacting as he had.

_I didn't remember that...I didn't remember punching...I just remember him stopping me from doing it...what is this?_

"Don't Kiril." Adrien told him softly.

"Are you challenging me?" It was the first time Adrien had ever done so, but the brunette was shaking his head.

"If you strike her, Kai will kill you."

"Kai wouldn't kill me."

"Kai would murder you in cold blood and not think about you for the rest of his life if you even thought about it. You know that as well as I do." He said simply. "If I stop you now, I know you're not going to be murdered later." Kiril glowered at his friend.

"You're challenging me!"

"Kai would kill you so quickly that you never would have gotten the chance to move let alone be able to apologize. You can't hit her!" Adrien said with a little bit more oomph in his voice. He was deadly serious on this one. Adeline was watching the scene with avid interest.

It looked like Adrien had grown a backbone in his time apart from Kiril.

"Fine, whatever." Kiril hissed and Adeline coughed slightly to draw his attention to her.

"Listen to me Kiril. You don't understand the complexity of what's going on in Mecca."

"Of course I do. Isn't that why you're hiding out here with the brats?" Her face flushed slightly, and he dug deeper. "Or is it that you're ashamed to go home? Or you know that Kai is just abandoning you for another cause? This is how it's going to be Addy. Kai's going to find another moral compass and it's going to point him in the complete opposite direction of this place. Even if he comes home this time, who says he'll come back next time? Who says he'll even care?" Her eyes hardened and he glanced down at her hands where they were struggling to not clench at her sides. Bracelets and rings that all probably meant something important adorned them. He cracked a grin. "I bet you he doesn't wear one." He said as he looked at her. "What's he got to hide? Is he ashamed to have _you _as a girl?"

_I didn't mean that. I didn't mean that! It was an accident! I never said that! I never said that!_

"Kiril. You never did know when to shut up." She snapped as she looked at him.

"Oh ho! Now I know I've pissed you off, you're cursing at me." Adrien fumbled awkwardly as he looked between the two. He personally had no problems with Adeline. She was a lovely girl who was always there whenever he needed her for some reason or other. Kiril was just in one of those moods where he wanted to damn everyone to hell. Even the ones that were being nice to him.

"Kiril, what on Earth is your problem, why are you saying these things to me? Have I ever done something to offend you?"

"Yes!" He snapped as he stalked forwards. Adrien tensed, ready in case Kiril decided to let one fly towards the woman. "You had to go and get with Kai-"

"I was with him before you even met him, you foolish child!" She hissed back, face flushing as she started to get more and more worked up.

"Well you didn't need to sleep with him! You're such a fucking whore. You can't even wait to get married before you go and get-" She threw her hand up into his face, and even though it wasn't a strike, Adrien had moved to block it. He grabbed her wrist, but she didn't care. She was shoving her hand so Kiril could see it.

"I don't know what _you're _talking about, but I was married over a year ago." She snapped, glowering at him. He stared at her hand for a moment, his mouth open. "Kai asked me May 7, 2013." He felt his anger coming back again.

"Mikhail...he asked you on the day that Mikhail died!?" He shouted.

"Yes! He asked me to be apart of his family on the anniversary of the day part of his family left! He asked me to be with him while he was feeling alone! I agreed you stupid boy! I agreed and because my parents wouldn't accept it, Kai and I got married with only five witnesses at a church in France following all the procedures that we needed to make the union true. We were married only two weeks after he asked me, and for the past year and a half he's been trying to get HE to have an office in France so that he could actually see me!"

Kiril's eyes were wide. He blinked once, twice, but he didn't know what to say...couldn't know what to say. He was at a complete and total loss. He was so confused. He didn't know which way was up and which way was down anymore. All he could do was stare. "But...I-"

"No one was supposed to know about it! Only the other Officers and one close friend knew about it originally, and the rest of my family just started to understand what happened last year. You aren't the center of the world Kiril. You may have once been a candidate for being the Prince of it, but you need to get it through your head that you're _not _the Prince of the World. You're Kiril Ivanov, and other people have lives besides you!" She shouted, eyes flashing in anger. "Do you realize that when I discovered what had _happened_ I couldn't even think about telling my _husband _because he was trying to balance what was going on with HE and the school and the ISA all at the same time?! Do you realize that when you ran off to find Donahue, he was pulled into that mission and I couldn't _distract _him enough from to tell him he was going to be a father?!

"Do you understand the gravity of the situation when I tell you that I need to stay here, in hiding, because people are going for anyone and anything that can make Kai bleed – and it will _kill _him to know that he was the cause of something that happened to us? Can I even begin to shove into your head the fact of the matter which is very simply: Kai hasn't even been able to have a free moment just to be with his children because he's being dragged from one place to another so much?

"It's killing him that he had to leave! It's killing him to the point of insanity. He's only seen his children once in person since they were born-"

"Well that's the definition of love. I heard there were some pretty fun arguments while I was out too-"

"For the purposes of it appearing as though I wasn't going to be an impact in his life! To keep me safe! To keep Jeannine and Nikoli safe!"

"Well it doesn't sound like love to me."

"You're just a foolish child who doesn't know any better! A foolish child that's going to run over to Mecca to be killed because he doesn't know how to keep himself out of trouble. You're a complete and total _fool_!" Tears were stinging her eyes.

Kiril couldn't understand. He wasn't able to understand. He was so completely different and so completely unaware of what was happening around him, that there was no way that he could understand the huge sacrifice that both of them had made by doing what they had done. She had all been renounced as an heir, and he was completely being black balled every step he made in France. Her mother was trying to force them apart. She was tying her to duties and was forcing him away so his French Office was starting to tumble slightly.

Despite the benefit France could reap from the company, her family was refusing him so many access points so that he could be with his bride. That on top of everything else...her labor had been a long and hard one that had been painful and lonesome.

_Kai had just stepped through the door. He was exhausted and tired and weak. He fumbled a few steps as he tried to focus and remember just _where _exactly this room was. He closed his eyes and tried to wave off the dizziness that was crashing into his skull. He was so tired...so very tired..._

"_Kai! Kai!" A boy, he couldn't remember his name for the life of him, ran up to him quickly, eyes wide. _

"_Yes...?" He mumbled as he tried to stand upright. When was the last time he'd eaten? He couldn't recall..._

"_It's Miss Adeline!" Instantly his focus snapped back to where it should have been all along. _

"_What's wrong with her, is she alright?" The boy didn't seem know whether to be excited or scared, so he settled on just excitement with the situation. Good or bad, he didn't know. _

"_The baby-" He paled. "They said the baby was coming!" He looked at his watch. It would take him five hours to get there if he took his personal shuttle. Then he hesitated. It was too early. It was too early. It was too early. It was too early._

_It was too early._

_It was too early._

_It was too early._

_It was too early._

_He felt that dizziness overcome him again as his mind only raced through those four words. He was hyperventilating. He couldn't see straight. The exhaustion was overcoming him. He teetered slightly._

_The boy in front of him yelped and started to scream for help as he crashed to his knees, hands going to his head as he tried to focus but couldn't. Someone ran up next to him and he soon felt his arms being grabbed as he was roughly turned to look at Spencer who was shaking him. _

"_Focus Sacha!" Spencer shouted. Kai didn't even know where he'd come from, but he started to feel everything coming down on him. Somewhere nearby, Adrien was watching from a doorway. Fear had settled on his features, and he trembled slightly as he watched his father-figure fall.  
_

"_It's too early – the baby, it'll die!" He gasped as fat tears started to fall down his face. He was shaking visibly now. Panic had set in. He was terrified. _

"_Well sitting here and crying about it isn't going to help you! You have a lady who needs you right now, so get on that plane and go be there for her!" Kai nodded._

"_Right. Plane-" He stopped short, eyes growing wide. He shook his head slightly, hands gripping his hair. "Dear God, I can't be on a plane right now." _

"_Well you're not going to get very far by driving!" Spencer snorted as he looked at his _brother_ for a moment. "Darial, get Bryan and inform him that his Corps are going to be in charge. Send him down with his coat. Tell him we're leaving." The boy nodded and ran off. As much of an inconvenience as this was, he wasn't going to let Kai get on a plane by himself when he was such a mess already. He galnced towards where Adrien was standing nervously. He motioned for him to come forwards, and the teenager flew to them.  
_

_So with Bryan and Dri on either his side, Spencer escorted Kai onto the aircraft and within moments they were flying high. The whole while he was jumpy and jittery and praying with his head down. His arms were wrapped around his adopted child's body. All four of them were praying. They just closed their eyes and prayed. For five hours straight...they prayed for the little baby that was about to be born. _

_Meanwhile Adeline was screaming at her family who were suffocating her with their lies and their presences. They were surrounding her to the point of insanity and as the doctors and nurses started to run about and try to help her she could only lay there and cry as she prayed too for her husband to come and for the baby to survive. _

"_You see! You see what a state that boy has put you in!" Her mother was shouting as she looked at her. Tears were falling down her cheeks as she tried to block them out. "You wouldn't be like this if it weren't for him!"_

"_He's-he's my husband!" She cried as a stabbing pain shot through her. _

"_He's an animal! He only wanted to claim that which was not his! He is not a suitable match!" The woman screamed, her voice shrill and grating as her daughter's pretty face became more and more drenched with sweat. "This was not like it when I had you. The union was pure then! This is God cursing-"_

"_Do _shut up _mother!" She shouted at long last as she glowered at her. _

"_The nerve! How dare you!" _

_And so it went. For five hours she sat there in misery as she tried to continue the process, and for five hours Kai was flying towards her as fast as he could. When his plane finally had touched down he was running on forty eight hours without sleep and he was struggling to keep upright, but he was moving fast._

_Him and his two brothers and child raced through the streets of France until they came at long last to the mansion that Adeline lived in. His first response had been "Why isn't she in a hospital?" and Spencer hissed something about tradition. _

_By the time they finally made it to the front gate, the guard wouldn't let them in! He continued to say something about how he wasn't allowed under any circumstance. Well, that didn't go over too well with Bryan and Spencer who pounced on him and forcibly made their entrance. Screw it if they called the cops!_

_They combed the halls until finally they made it to the one that doctors and nurses and the like were rushing about towards and Kai used his last breath of energy to shove open the door and see his wife who was gasping at just about the climax of her labor.  
_

"_S-Sacha!" She shouted, one hand snapping out to take his. _

"_The nerve! Out! Out you mongrel!" He ignored his mother in law and forced himself to his wife's side. Taking her hand in his he kissed her as gently as he could on her forehead, and rested his free hand on her cheek. Adrien was shivering worriedly, he'd never seen his supposed grandmother this way. Whenever she'd seen her the woman had been kind to him. She'd never liked the fact that he had been adopted, but at the same time it was understood he'd never be France's heir. Seeing her howling mad was making him jumpy and he wasn't sure he understood why. Weren't births supposed to be a happy time?  
_

"_Sorry 'm late..." He slurred as he tried to keep himself upright._

"_Is he drunk!?" _

"_No you pompous ass, he hasn't slept in so long that he shouldn't even be standing right now." Bryan snapped as he glowered at the pair who were doing nothing but berate these two's union. He put his hands on the teenager's shoulders in order to calm his nerves. The doctors were telling Adeline to push and that she was almost there, and so she nodded and did as they said. Kai didn't really know what it was _he _was supposed to do, so he held her hand and he whispered sweet nothings into her ear and told her how much he loved her. _

"_Who on earth are you?" Her mother asked, in awe. Adrien flinched and looked awkwardly at the two Officers behind him.  
_

"_They're his playmates dear." Her husband responded coldly, he may not exactly be thrilled in how Kai had shown up, but he accepted his presence near his child. Barging in with these two friends of his when his daughter was so exposed, however, was not exactly his idea of a good thing. "Adrien, child, come here would you?" The teenager glanced at the two Officers, unsure of what side he was supposed to be on at the moment, but Bryan released his shoulders so he assumed that meant that he was supposed to go towards the older man. The Prince put an arm around him gently rubbing his back.  
_

_Adeline squeezed Kai's fingers until they hurt, but he didn't care. He knew it would not be a fraction of the pain she was feeling. Even when her nails dug into his skin and he felt blood start to fall, all he could think of was that one day he was going to explain to his child, his _child _that he got those scars when he or she was born. _

"_I see the head!" someone shouted and then suddenly with a mighty effort, there was a baby's cry in the darkness of the room. Kai couldn't help himself, he looked away for a brief moment to see the child. A boy...he could tell that right away, but his sleep deprived mind made him blink twice as he stared at it._

_Were children supposed to look like that when they were born? He didn't know. He'd never seen a newborn child.  
_

_But Adeline was still gasping for air, and he looked back at her in confusion. _

"_Addy?" He whispered as he stared at her. She looked up at him, panicking slightly._

"_It still hurts!" She gasped, and suddenly the doctor was back._

"_Oh my! You've got at least one more in there!" Both new parents looked up at the doctor as though he were crazy. _

**"What?!"** _Both looked at the squirming boy in the nurse's arms, then back to the doctor who was saying something about a head and pushing again. She screamed, tears coming to her eyes. Kai held her hand all the tighter, his exhaustion and confusion obvious as he tried to understand just what was happening. He couldn't have two children, especially not two premature children that were both liable to die at any time. He couldn't handle that. He couldn't!_

_"Dad?" Adrien whispered as he stared at his father. He blocked everything else out, something was wrong. His grandfather pulled him back even as he went to touch his father's shoulder. The old man wasn't paying too much attention though. He was sending scathing words towards the two Officers in the door.  
_

_Kai was teetering, his knees starting to give out as his body yelled at him. It didn't appreciate the effort he was forcing himself to go through. It didn't appreciate it at all. His vision was fading in and out and yet it was sheer will and determination that held him upright. Sheer force of will that made him stay standing long enough to hear the cries of his second child. _

"_It's a girl!" Someone shouted and that was just about as much as he could handle. Bryan and Spencer were still arguing with Adeline's parents who were so distracted that they didn't quite realize what was happening with their daughter and son in law. Both of whom were staring at their twins in complete and utter shock. Adrien himself didn't look like he quite believed what he was seeing.  
_

"_I-I-I..." Kai was staring at both his son and daughter in numb silence. He didn't know what he was supposed to do or say. He was completely at a loss. The doctors were checking Adel who was finally at long last starting to breathe quietly and not the labored sounds of child birth. She was being asked all sorts of questions, and she mumbled answers as Kai struggled to keep himself upright._

_One of the nurses was smiling weakly at him and said something in French. Just to prove how out of it was that he was however, he honestly couldn't for the life of him understand a word of what she had said. He blinked at her for a moment and nodded if only because he didn't know what else to do. She walked up to him and pressed his son in his arms and he weakly held the boy to his chest. Adrien finally pulled free and was slowly inching closer two his adopted parents.  
_

_One of the physicians yelled for the combatants to shut up seeing as how they were only making the situation out into a bad one when it should have been a happy time. The four looked up to see Kai holding the child blankly, the baby boy staring up at him with wide red eyes that he got from his father. _

_The Princess's mother immediately started to harp about how he shouldn't be holding the boy like that, but he could only stare at them. He couldn't figure out what on earth they were trying to tell him. The French was getting muddled in his mind, and he was so dizzy and weak at the moment that he couldn't translate the language he'd known for over seventeen years. _

_He glanced up at his _brothers _and whispered something in Russian. Adeline reached out and he saw her do so. Out of instinct he passed his son into her arms and just as she took the baby, he fell sharply to his knees.  
_

"_Sacha!" She screamed as she looked at him. Bryan and Spencer both were at his side in seconds. They grabbed his arms and tried to steady him, but there was no helping the pure exhaustion that was overcoming him. He blinked up at them blearily and some of the doctors and nurses were starting to come around to check on him. Adrien was tugged back roughly by his grandfather who refused to let him go this time.  
_

"_What on earth, is he drunk?!" The mother shouted as she looked at her son in law. The woman's husband though suddenly became very stony faced as he looked at the young man. _

"_Kutznetsov, when did he get back from his last mission?" He asked as he looked at his lawful son who was so completely out of it by now, Adrien was struggling to get out but he held firm. Kai's eyes had slipped closed and he was breathing very shallowly. Bryan looked up at him seriously._

"_Seven hours ago." He replied softly. The man grumbled under his breath and moved to touch Kai's face (all the while forcing Adrien away, the boy's grandmother took him now and he looked at her in anger). Both Russian Officers stiffened at the action and he sighed. "I may not like the fact that they were married without my consent and in such secrecy, but this child has always been a good one in my eyes. I wish him no harm."_

"_He eloped with our daughter!" His wife shouted, squeezing down tightly on Adrien's arm until the boy finally wrenched free, and the man looked up at her sternly. _

"_And he flew here to be with our daughter when she needed him, despite his obvious exhaustion. I never once doubted he cared for her, I simply wished that he would have asked me first before marrying her! But I can not, in good faith, see my grandchildren grow up without their father because of my arogance. Especially when this man has done more then he ever should have had to do for the call of duty." He looked at his wife for a long while before turning back to the two Russian Officers. "Take him, if you will, there's a room three doors down the hall to the left. If you would take him there, there's a place he can rest. _

_When Kai woke up the next day though, it wasn't the sweet face of his Lady that he saw first. Nor even his companions. Not even his children. It was his mother in law who was sitting beside him, her nose upturned as though he were defiling the very room with his stench. He rolled his eyes, and struggled to sit up._

"_Your friends are in the precinct down town." He looked over to her, his mouth dropping in dumb awe. "The only reason you aren't joining them is because my fool of a husband seems to think that it would be detrimental to your health to move anywhere until you've been rested." _

"_You called the police on my friends? For what?" He scowled. He never did like his mother in law. His _father _in law on the other hand was such a pleasure to be around. _

"_For breaking and entering."_

_"Adrien?"_

_"He's downstairs, with the twins." Now that that was taken care of, Kai's eyes narrowed.  
_

"_They're ISA agents, they're most likely not in their cells any longer."_

"_Be that as it may, I expect you to leave this place immediately."_

"_I want to see Adeline and the-"_

"_You will do no such thing!" The woman stood up sharply and towered over him. He looked up at her with steadfast ignorance. _

"_And why do you say that?"_

"_You've told my child numerous times that you wanted nothing to do with her, all for the sake of this mission of yours!" _

"_Yes, well-"_

"_I _know _you did it to protect her you foolish boy!" They glared at each other. "You honestly believe that coming here did anything to dissuade your enemies from harming her or her children?!" He froze at that. He'd been so worried for her that he hadn't even considered if someone was watching him. "Leave this place. Don't you ever come back. Leave my child and stay away until you can promise no harm will come to them. Are we clear on this matter?" Kai looked away. He understood perfectly. His heart shattered, but he nodded ever so slightly. _

"_Alright...I'll go." _

As Adeline stared at Kiril she knew that he could never understand the depths of that poor man's heart. Kai would always be someone that the boy thought he could manipulate and bend to his will. As she stared at him, she felt her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach. Her eyes squeezed shut. There was nothing more that she could say.

Turning she left Kiril and Adrien in the room, and walked through the halls of the school to her husband's quarters where she had asked a few of the older boys to look after the twins. Jeanie and Niko were giggling excitedly when she walked in and had held their hands up to be hugged once they saw her. She thanked their baby sitters and they nodded and left after a few minutes, happy to have helped.

Not too long after that she heard a knock at the door, and she looked up to see the only other person who had been aware of her marriage. Kai had been insistent on telling the boy, and Adeline had to admit, she was glad that he had. She could only imagine the betrayal the boy would have felt once he discovered his foster father's marriage to her.

"I'm sorry I grabbed your arm." Adrien whispered softly, shifting awkwardly as he stood in the doorway. She smiled lightly up at him and motioned for him to come inside. He did so and walked towards her, shutting the door behind him. The twins smiled and giggled up at him, and he held out his fingers for them to grab onto. "I didn't hurt you did I?"

"Oh Dri...you didn't hurt me. I shouldn't have moved like that. Thank you for stopping Kiril." She said lightly, and he shrugged.

"I didn't want to see him get killed."

"You're a good boy Dri..." She like nicknames, and usually they were all bastardizations of the real names. Adrien was no different.

"We're still going to go..." He warned her, and she nodded.

"I'm still going to do everything in my power to stop you."

"Take care...mama..." He whispered the last word as quietly as he could, before placing a kiss on her cheek and one on each of the twins heads.

She too had signed on his adoption papers, and while he wholeheartedly was against being a Prince of France, he was more then happy to see his foster siblings be well taken care of. His heart was just big enough to spread his immense love for them too.


	15. In Dreams

**Windstar: **First and foremost, to anyone who has swung by my profile recently they would have come across a rather alarming message saying essentially "my laptop has blown up and my data has been lost." Yes well, this has been a problem. Luckily my school has free tech help and they removed my harddrive from my laptop, plugged it into a handy machine, and then put it into my school computer so that this story has not been deleted. As such, another dedication to the long and seemingly endless tale of how hard it is for me to post this story: to the techies who fix computers and save harddrives everywhere.

This chapter is one of my favorites. It's thrilling, jam packed with important plot bunnies and key details, swarmed with emotional pathos and self preservation. All in all, I think this is quite possibly the best chapter thus far. Not to mention the fact that word says that it's nineteen pages long. Oh goody! I'm grateful that everyone likes the OCs so much, especially because this chapter is going to focus on them a bit, and it's not exactly a good thing if people hate them. So far it seems that most (if not all) seem to really enjoy their presence in this story. Those of you who have been reading since OTT will particularly appreciate this I think.

On a note with **One Hundred Chosen**: I've hit a road block. Without revealing too much details of the story I have a bit of a problem. I sat down and tried to write out a relationship between two characters and it was almost as if they were slapping me in the face saying "what are you doing? I wouldn't end up with that person!" Which soon brought me to another reality which then led down a rather long rabbit trail into a bit of an abyss...anyway. Long story short, I have a question that I want to ask the audience. While **none **of the original series characters would be affected by this, there is a distinct possibility that one of the characters in OHC is going to be homosexual. I don't usually write "yaoi" stories, and in truth: it really isn't going to be that way. One character doesn't make up a yaoi story in my opinion.

That being said, if on a whole the audience does not want those themes in this story, I can work around it. It's not a huge deal on my part, but for some reason one of my (seemingly endless) OCs seems to be telling me he's homosexual and because of various themes of the story (i.e. prejudice, social class, financial income, hate crimes, acceptance, obedience, tradition, etc) it fits in rather nicely. Continually, as I said earlier, another of my OCs seems more inclined to be an object of the first's intrest. As warnings it would include: flirting, teasing, and the like. It would not be any more graphic then anything else I've written so far. Again. If this is a problem with the main audience though and would distract people from the premise of the story, I don't have to add it in. Input on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter.

Thanks to my wonderful reviewers, both old and new. I love you all!

**Chapter Fourteen:**

Kiril had to admit, getting to Mecca was a lot harder then he originally thought it was going to be. By the time they had finally stepped foot into the city, they were exhausted and in sore need of a bath. Adrien was grumbling miserably every few minutes, and it was clear that they hadn't exactly planned this out the way it should have been done. It seemed so easy when they had it on paper, but actually working it out wasn't helpful one bit. Funny how that happened whenever they worked out a plan for a mission.

First and foremost, they had no ride whatsoever to get to the airport and had to walk the entire way there! After that, they needed to figure out how they were going to transport all their guns and weaponry to the city. Little details like these had always been taken care of by whatever agency the Corps were working for, so no one at the school ever needed to worry about it. Now they were working by themselves, and they realized it was a lot more complicated then it should have been. Trying to talk their way through that one with the security officers hadn't been easy or fun. In fact, Adeline caught them the first time they tried it and they had to restart and do it over again at a later date. They planned ahead though and sent out their things to be picked up once they got to Mecca and _then _they walked to the airport and flew there.

So, needless to say, considering how their adventure had started, they didn't feel very relieved when they got to Mecca. Instead, they were only annoyed because now they needed to figure out how to get to a hotel and find where they had shipped their goods. They walked for ages, and by the time they finally made it through the front doors, they gasped and instantly ducked around a corner.

Who would have thought that out of all the rotten luck to get, Kai Hiwatari would be in the lobby of the hotel talking on his cell phone as he filled out some paperwork. Kiril glanced towards Adrien and motioned towards a bush that was nearby his uncle. Time to eavesdrop.

"I don't understand what you're talking about." Kai was annoyed, he didn't seem like he wanted to deal with whatever problems were happening right then, and in truth, he probably didn't. Kiril leaned close to the bushes, trying to figure out what might be spoken to his uncle, but he heard nothing. "No, I just don't think it makes sense for us to take that plan of action."

Adrien sat next to Kiril with his lips forming a perfect frown. There was a lot happening here, and now that they finally got to Mecca, it was more then just a coincidence that the first hotel they found had their Officer in it. It took them far too long to get into this city, if they got caught now it would be an extreme waste.

"Look, all I'm saying is that if we do this now, we don't have the military back up to-" He was cut off apparently, and from what Kiril could see, he was more then irritated by that fact. It was a simple character study of his Uncle.

Ever since Kiril had known him, Kai had an unavoidable arrogance that streaked through his body without much thought. He was probably like that because he usually mastered whatever it was that he had to talk about or had to do. He didn't do things that he hadn't mastered, and that was rather petty of him, but still it was who he was. Kai expected to be waited on hand and foot sometimes. In that essence he was perfect for his Princess bride. He acted like he was a Prince half the time anyway, and he _hated _to be interrupted.

He laughed slightly, thinking back to when he first left the Abbey. He met Adeline not too long after that...and then after that he met Kai for the first time.

_"Let me go! Let me go!" Kiril screamed loudly as he looked this way and that. He didn't understand what was going on. "Mikhail! Mikhail!" There was a tall man holding his shoulders, and he was struggling hard to get out. He didn't like it, he didn't like it one bit! Adrien was struggling just as hard right next to him._

_"Hey, hey, calm down kids. It's going to be alright." The man was trying to get them to relax, but Kiril didn't want to relax. He wanted his mother, and he wanted to know what was happening. There were all those big noises, and there was screaming!_

_"Mikhail! Mikhail!"_

_"Michaels your scaring them!" Kiril whipped around when he heard his friend's voice. He tried to struggle free once more, but the man holding him wouldn't let him go._

_"I can't help that, we need to go now!" Michaels glanced furtively towards the street where at any moment guards from the Abbey could arrive. "Why aren't you coming with us? You can't go back!"_

_"I need to get Marina!" Mikhail snapped at his boss angrily._

_"Mikhail!" Kiril was crying, tears streaming down his face as he tried to get a good look at the former guard. The man looked at him, and suddenly he was on his knees, pulling him to his chest._

_"Hush now little one. Everything's going to be alright. I'm going to go back for your mama, and then I'll see you okay?"_

_"What's goin' on!?" The boy gripped his saviour tightly around the neck. "Where's Tala?!" Kiril would never know how much Mikhail's heart ached that day when he heard Kiril asking for his brother. It was a simple matter of course. To Mikhail, Tala and Kai had always managed to get anything and everything he ever wanted or cared about. Kiril was always his charge, and now that Tala had returned the little boy had chosen the red-head over him. No time to think about that now though, he could bitch about his younger _brothers _later. _

_"He's back at the Abbey; listen to me, little one." Mikhail pushed the boy back gently so they were meeting each other eye to eye. "You're going to go with my friend here, alright? His name is Tristen Michaels, he's going to take good care of you." He looked up to Michaels."Where are they going?"_

_"Voltaire has a place in mind, I'm going to take them to the mansion first." He said softly, and his subordinate nodded._

_"Listen to me Kiril, Adrien." He pulled the other boy towards him as well, and the teary brunette sniffed miserably as he tried to figure out what was happening. Mikhail looked at the brunette long and hard. Mikhail shivered. He regretted how Adrien came to the Abbey, but right now he could only hope that he was redeeming himself by this action. That child needed to be free from the darkness of their lives as well. "There's a place you're going to go to. Mr. Hiwatari is a good man – you listen to everything he has to say alright?"_

_"What are you talkin' about? What's goin' on?!" Kiril shouted as he looked at Mikhail with anger. He didn't understand what was happening, and he didn't like it one bit!_

_"You're never going back to that Abbey ever again. You never have to see your father again Kiril." The boy fell silent, his mouth dropping open ever so slightly. "I'm going to go back and get your mama, and then I'll meet up with you alright?"_

_"Mama?"_

_"She fell behind...I'm going to go get her. You have to listen to me, you need to be good to the people you go to. They'll take care of you until I get there, understand?"_

_"Yes..." Mikhail smiled at the boy and ruffled his hair. Then he looked back at the little brunette who was staring at him with such pleading eyes._

_"I'll be back for you too, dear child." He whispered softly, placing a hand on Adrien's dark locks. "Protect the Prince for me until I get back alright?" Adrien nodded._

_"I promise." The boy whispered as he pressed his head into the older man's chest. "Come back, daddy?"_

_"I will, I promise." He held the child to his chest even closer, breathed in his baby smell, and then forced himself to let the child go. He hardly had time to see the boy, ever since his birth the boy had been in the Abbey._

_Boris had laughed when he'd heard about the child's existence, and then suddenly little Adrien Ivanov was stripped of his last name and thrust into the darkness of that world. It was pure irony that had his child and Kiril as roommates. It was not simply an accident, however, that this boy was taken out of the Abbey with Kiril. Mikhail was not going to leave this innocent baby in that place one minute longer then he needed too._

_"I'll hold you to that promise." He told the toddler softly, and dark locks nodded._

_"I won' fail daddy! You come back to see! I do it right!" Adrien hugged Mikhail with all his might, and Mikhail relished in the feeling for a moment before wincing as he heard sounds behind him. Time to go._

_"Do everything they say, don't be any trouble, understand?" He looked at both the children and they nodded quickly. Mikhail herded them onto the van, and Michaels gave him one final look._

_"Anna." He said suddenly, and Mikhail felt his blood run cold._

_"Anna?"_

_"She's alive." Mikhail shivered slightly as he heard those words. "She's in America with Kai, they're on there way here...she wanted me to give you a message. 'Stay safe, and I'll see you soon.' So you better come back safe so I don't see that poor girl cry anymore." Mikhail grinned._

_"I always do seem to make people cry. Even Adrien's mother."_

_"Come back Mikhail." The younger man nodded._

_"Of course." Then he looked at the two toddlers that were staring at him. "I love you." He whispered, his heart breaking as he realized that chances were this would be the last time he'd see his boy._

_"I love you too daddy!" Adrien whispered._

_"Don't forget your promise!"_

_"I won't!"_

And Adrien never had. Mikhail died later that night, a foolish effort to try to save Marina. His parents were fools in love. It was as simple as that. Mikhail had fallen for one of the women down in the red light district. It was a foolish, foolish, thing that he had done, but at the end of everything he had impregnated the woman. Both of them wanted Adrien with every fiber of their beings, but she had died in childbirth, and Mikhail was left with a broken heart and a child that cried out for a mother he would never know.

Boris had thought the situation was funny, but it wasn't. Not really. It was terrible. Mikhail had lost one of the few people he'd opened up too, and was left with this boy that was taken from him the moment he was found out about.

Chances were very good that Tala and the other Officers knew of the relationship between Adrien and Mikhail. It was one of the reasons why they cared for him so much at times. Adrien had often wondered if he looked or acted like his father. He never knew his mother, obviously, but the few memories he'd had of his father he remembered him as being sad all the time.

Mikhail Hall had long been his favorite place on the campus. There were pictures of the man inside it, and he would spend hours staring at them, wondering if he was doing his job correctly. If his promise was being lived up too appropriately.

Perhaps that's why Adrien was always closer with the Officers at times then he was with his own peers. Sometimes they'd tell him about Mikhail and he would hang on every word. He wanted to know more about his father...he wanted to know if he was doing right by him.

He'd lived up to that promise even during the first few minutes after his father had left.

_Voltaire Hiwatari was stunned when he saw the two children before him. Kiril and Adrien were both standing in front of him looking teary eyed, exhausted, and confused. The billionaire looked at the two of them and sighed heavily. To his right stood Adeline who quickly moved and gathered the two in her arms._

_"You two look exhausted, would you like some warm milk and honey?" She asked them gently. Adrien stared up at her in awe. To him, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She was gorgeous. Even more beautiful then Marina._

_"What...what's that?" He whispered in awe. She blinked, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was one of those Angels they'd learned about in church._

_"Come with me child, I'll show you." She held out her hand, and he took it. He looked at Kiril who was staring at her similarly._

_She led them both into the kitchen and sat them up on some nice comfy chairs. She gently gave them some sweet honey milk, and within moments they'd fallen asleep. Adrien remembered feeling so peaceful in her arms. He'd often wondered if this was what a mother's hold was. If so, he could stay here forever._

_When they woke up the next morning, she told them all about the little home in Italy. They would be taking a private flight down, and once they were there they could play in the ocean and do whatever they wanted to do. It sounded like a dream._

_"No!" Kiril shouted as he looked at her pretty face. She frowned as she stared at him._

_"What do you mean, no?"_

_"I mean, no. We have to wait for mama!" Adrien stared at Kiril for a long while. That's right. His daddy was coming. His daddy was coming and then they'd be together forever. He'd never leave again._

_"My daddy...he gonna come with us to It'ly right?" He whispered to the Angel. Adeline looked at him with such sorrowful eyes. She shook her head slowly._

_"I'm so sorry child." She had tears forming in her eyes as she knelt before them. At first, neither could understand why their Angel had knelt before them. It didn't make any sense! Why was the Angel crying? Angels didn't cry. That was a purely human emotion._

_"What are you sorry for?" He whispered as he reached towards her pretty face. She was crying openly now, her arms reached out as she pulled him to her chest._

_"Mikhail...Mikhail died last night...He died trying to get your mother Kiril. Your mother's still in the Abbey...she's going to be there for a little while longer." Adrien didn't understand though. He couldn't understand._

_"My daddy...he said he was comin' back, when's he comin back?" He couldn't understand what she was trying to tell him. All he knew was that his father promised. His father promised!_

_"Death...death means that he's not coming back." Adrien was frozen still. Kiril was shouting now, shouting about how his mother was supposed to come, and Adeline tried to calm him. He was left with those words. Death means that he's not coming back. Death means that his father lied._

_He broke his promise. He said he was coming back! He promised he was coming back!_

_He said protect Kiril until he got back...that means that he had to come back._

_Adeline would never know it, but that was the last time that Adrien ever thought of her as an Angel. To him, she was always an Angel of Death. Even years later when their relationship was healed somewhat, he still never thought of her as that angelic creature he'd believed her to be in the first place._

When they got to Italy not too long after that, Adrien started making good on his promise. He wouldn't let anyone go near Kiril without his permission. He wouldn't let anything happen to Kiril. He wouldn't let anything go wrong!

Even four months later, when Kai and the other showed up at the cottage, he didn't trust anyone. His faith in people was completely ruined. He lived and existed for one promise. The last promise he'd ever made to the person he wanted to see most in the world.

_"So...you must be Kiril hmm?" Kai had said when he first looked at the little bronze haired child. The boy frowned._

_"And who are you?" He asked. Kai glowered at him, clearly not impressed by that show of bravado from a four year old._

_"I'm your Uncle Kai." The teen hissed as he glowered at the boy twelve years his junior. He didn't appreciate the attitude in the slightest._

_"I didn't know I had an Unc-Kai."_

_"Now you do. I'm Luka's brother."_

_"I'm Luka's brother." The little boy hissed, crossing his arms over his chest._

_"Yeah, well I'm not calling a midget like you my little brother. You get the grand old honor of being my nephew, and you'll just have to deal with it."_

_"I'm not a mig-et!"_

_"Want a bet, shirmp?" Apparently even four year olds could rile up Kai when he was in the mood to play dirty. He was not, however, expecting a brunette look alike of his other brother to appear out of nowhere. He hissed as his shin started to ache with pain, and he glowered down at the three year old child that was holding up a double guard and looking like a right old street fighter._

_"Leave him alone!" Adrien shouted as he glared up at Kai._

_"Hey, back off Junior." He muttered as he looked at the boy. "Me and your little buddy here are negotiating something."_

_"Well negg-something somewhere else!" Kai looked at the boy with an undefinable look. Kiril was smiling, as though he knew everything was going to work out just fine now that his little pitt-bull was there. Kai though...the longer he was confronted with Adrien's presence, the more the fight left him (true), but the more sad he seemed to get._

_He reached out suddenly, and placed a hand on the boy's dark locks. His red eyes were oddly wet and filled with sorrow. Adrien blinked as he stared up at him, confusion clearly plastered on his face. He looked so miserable as he stood there, that Adrien couldn't seem to recall why he'd interrupted this meeting in the first place. Clearly this man meant no harm._

_"I'm sorry Junior...I didn't mean too offend." Kai knelt down and pulled the brunette to his chest. Adrien frowned, not quite understanding what was happening, but accepting the teen's comforting hold on him._

_"Why are you callin' me Junior?" He mumbled into the older boy's chest._

_"Cause...you're the first one to be born from any of us." He mumbled. Sighing he shook his head and took a step back. "Keep yourselves out of trouble."_

_"Hey! You can't just come in here whenever you feels likes it!" Kiril snapped suddenly. Kai frowned and glanced back at him._

_"What, you think you own this house? Think again, this is Luka and Anna's house, and my girlfriend's it's care taker. What makes you think you have any ownership here at all brat?"_

_"Jus' cause you're older don't mean your better!" The four year old hissed as he stalked forwards. Kai raised an eyebrow at him._

_"You'd like to think that wouldn't you?"_

_"Adrien? Kick him!" And he did! Kai yelped as his shins were rudely assaulted by the little Junior-mini-me of his deceased brother. He growled and picked the boy off the floor, only to find his eyes rudely being clawed at. Kiril ran into him and the heir yelped. His legs were twisted together and suddenly he was on the ground. Tala ran in a few minutes later, took one look at the sight and started bursting out laughing._

_"Luka, you prick, get them off me!" Kai hissed as he tried to deal with both brats at the same time._

_"Now, now children, you can play with Uncle Kai later. You don't want to hurt his pride too much in one day do you?" Tala clearly found this whole thing very funny, but Kai didn't. In fact, he was downright pissed to shit._

Kiril couldn't help but smile at that thought. Meeting Kai that time probably hadn't been the best way of doing things, but it had been an experience to say the least. Kai's arrogance and overbearing personality was just who he was. It was how he acted and that was that. In truth, over the years he had truly come to love his Uncle.

He understood full well how it was odd for the man to want to call him his brother, and at the same time – Kiril didn't really think of Kai as his brother. Tala barely qualified as being his brother. He acted more like a father figure anyway.

At that particular thought, Kiril's mind could only recall the agonizing look on his brother's face in those pictures. His blood burned with anger. He wanted revenge! How dare someone do that to his dearest brother?! How could someone do that?!

Adrien put his hand on his shoulder and he turned to look at him. Green eyes stared at him sternly. He frowned, what was that about? Then he noticed something. Kai wasn't talking anymore. He glanced back through the bushes to see where his Uncle had vanished too. The man wasn't anywhere in sight though. He had left while he was daydreaming! Kiril cursed slightly under his breath.

"Lets get a room, and find this friggen Temple." He muttered, and Adrien nodded.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." It wasn't the truth, but that was fine. Nightmares assailed his dreams every night since he had seen those pictures. Revenge coursed through his body to the point that he could hardly focus on anything anymore.

The slight memory that he'd had of meeting Kai had been a much needed reprise from the constant chilling memories of Tala being murdered. Kiril wanted to taste blood. He wanted to kill someone so badly that his hands were itching to do so.

They checked in at the hotel and they made their way to their room. It was time to unpack their bags and make a plan. They needed to think. Kiril sat on the edge of his bed, his hands twitching every few seconds as he tried to envision the face of the bastard who had murdered his beloved brother. He wanted to try to figure out what it felt like to strangle someone.

"Kiril?" Adrien surprised him, and he reacted without thinking, striking out and sending the slightly younger boy onto the bed with his throat in a strangle hold. Adrien didn't bother trying to fight it. He just lay there, staring up at his friend as Kiril struggled to control himself.

The bronze haired boy stared at him for a long while, he didn't move at all, he simply stared at him. Adrien stared back. There was no need to fight. He didn't care about dying. He didn't care about having everything be over. Those weren't thoughts on his mind. He'd do whatever it was that was asked of him...even if it was to die.

Slender fingers released his neck though, and a mumbled apology left the older boy's lips. Adrien nodded, accepted the apology, and moved on. There was no need to dwell over such things. There was no need to concentrate on the things you couldn't change. That was life after all...

"What did you want?" Kiril asked suddenly, and Adrien nodded again.

"I was thinking we should get some rest and look for the Temple tomorrow when we've rejuvinated ourselves." Kiril glanced over to him and sighed. It was a good idea. They were exhausted after their journey.

"Alright." He agreed quietly. He understood what they needed to do.

Adrien crawled into bed quietly, and rested his head on his hands. He closed his eyes and breathed. He had a pounding headache and he just wanted to get to sleep. He heard Kiril do the same in the bed next to his, and with that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and he fell into a deep and troubled sleep.

_The first thing that happened was simply this: he suddenly wasn't in Mecca. He was back in that parking lot that he'd last seen his father in. He was alone though. There weren't any cars, and there weren't any people around. It was just him, standing in that parking lot feeling rather foolish. Many times as a child he'd sneak off to go to this very place...as though his father would show up randomly and be there suddenly. Back then, Kai or one of the other Officers would hunt him down and sit with him. No one would say anything and silence would fill the lot. Eventually he'd start crying, and the Officer would pick him up and carry him home - telling him sorry as though it would mean anything to him. _

_He sighed and turned to walk away, and froze when he realized he wasn't alone any longer. Dark eyes and hair met him. The troubled face of a man always so lost and sad in the world met his gaze, and Adrien could only stare in dumb awe at the familiar face of the person he so longed to see._

_"Daddy?" He whispered softly, staring at the shape of Mikhail Ivanov. He blinked a few times, trying to process the information. He knew that this was a flight of fancy and a dream that he had concocted to make himself feel better...But he didn't particularly care at the moment. Tears filled his eyes as he stared at the man who was smiling so gently towards him._

_"Hey kid, you grew up." Tears filled his eyes as he ran forward, begging to be held by this man. The hug felt better then he thought it would feel, and he snuggled into the embrace, needing it with every fiber of his being. He was desperate for this man's attention and he could only dream of this moment._

_"Daddy!" Mikhail held onto him with all the strength and wisdom of a father who had known all about their child's suffering. He held him close, rocking him back and forth in his arms. It was the only thing he could do. He just wanted to be there for his child, and now he finally had the opportunity to do so._

_"What on Earth are you doing, Adrien?" He whispered softly as he looked down at his boy. The child glanced up at him, eyes wide with horror at the thought of this man's disapproval._

_"Daddy?"_

_"Why on Earth are you in Mecca right now?" (Had he been talking to anyone else, one probably would have heard a slightly more curse filled rendition of that question. It seemed though while talking to Adrien, Mikhail managed to keep things relatively PG) Suddenly Adrien's vision was assailed by the blinding light of the desert and the shouting of Arabic. There were people running around everywhere and he felt his heart pound in his chest._

_"K-Kiril-"_

_"Do you really think that doing this will protect him? You're going to get yourself killed! Stop being an idiot!" The teen flinched at the harsh tone. He looked away. It seemed like Mikhail's editing only went so far though. _

_"C-Commander Ivanov-"_

_"Tala's not dead, Adrien." He whispered gently. Green eyes widened at that. His heart started pounding heavily in his chest. Their world changed once more. There before him the teenager stared in dumb horror at the sight that was being presented._

_Commander Ivanov was laying on his back. His lids were half closed and his head was lolled to the side. It was just after that terrible branding that had shaken the red head to the core. He was shivering ever so slightly – a sign that he was not dead. The dead didn't shiver from cold or pain._

_Not too far away was gentle Alessander. He was crying weakly, his knees pulled up to his chest as he clutched a hand over his breast. A brand was on him as well, and he clearly didn't appreciate it much. Ever so slightly, Tala's eyes started to blink. He was bringing himself back into consciousness, and almost instantly he let out a soft moan._

_"Bitch." He hissed as he coughed and turned his head to a more comfortable position. Xander looked up, his eyes wide. He struggled to stand._

_"C-Commander-"_

_"Tala's fine, Xander. No need for formalities." The man groaned and slowly managed to push himself up. "Bastards didn't need to really do it twice did they?" He hissed painfully. His hand gripped the brand that had been applied to his skin, and he shuddered slightly as he tried to blink the beads of sweat out of his eyes. He most certainly was _not _feeling well. God-damn healing factor that Boris supposedly put into his system wasn't working as fast as he'd like, and he really just wanted his body to move the way it was supposed to. It wasn't helping that he'd been branded and his chest now burned with every breath._

_"T-Tala, a-are y-you alright?" Tala groaned, he looked and most assuredly felt like shit. As Adrien watched his dear commander, he didn't know if he was glad that Tala was alive or sad because he was alive and living through this hell. It was the same feeling that had been running Kiril over the past few days. That horrible feeling of not knowing which he preferred, Tala alive...or Tala dead. Adrien's heart froze in his chest when he saw the man hiss slightly in pain._

_What distracted him more though, was suddenly the look of shock on Tala's face. Instantly Adrien followed his gaze and stared at Xander. The man he had always considered a brother stabbed his heart with horror. The teen felt Mikhail at his side._

_"Shh...it's alright...shh..." Mikhail whispered as he seemed to feel Adrien's panic start to build in his chest. The teen felt his arm go around his stomach and hold him firm. A wave of comfort shot through his body. Of course...this was a dream...his father's hold on him would be comfortable. That was how he'd always imagined his father's hold on him._

_Xander was in unimaginable pain. They all had seen the explosions throwing him before. Apparently they hadn't been too kind to him. He'd been thrown painfully into several walls during the raid and he was unconscious in all of the photos that had been taken of him. It was obvious up close why though. The worst part was that he didn't have Tala's natural ability to put himself back together very well. _

_His fingers were all broken on his left hand, and his face was covered in a myriad of cuts and bruises. Blood was dripping from one of his ears, and his right knee was twisted at an odd angle. It seemed that the only thing keeping him conscious right now was the desperate attachment he maintained with Tala._

_"C-Comm-comma-" He was shaking badly, and Tala grimaced. Slowly yet surely he managed to sit up completely. He reached out and gently touched the back of Xander's head. It was a traditional move that Tala had done to anyone that was hurt. The action was so that he could extend comfort and relieve stress while also feeling for changes in temperature and checking for any neck or skull injuries descretely._

_Xander crumbled in the hold. He barely had any energy to hold himself up, and now that he was extended such a welcome comfort he couldn't help himself. He couldn't take this anymore. Adrien couldn't blame him either. As far as he'd ever known Xander was never this badly hurt in a mission. He was always kept safe and he was never harmed his badly before._

_In fact, Adrien could dare say that it had been almost twelve years since Alessander had ever been hurt badly. Twelve long years...twelve years that would bring him straight to the Abbey. The Abbey was the last place anything had ever harmed Xander as badly as it had this time. Tala seemed to recognize that as well._

_It was a common occurrence at the school._

_Panic attacks happened often, particularly in the older kids who had been put under the lash on the three. As far as Adrien could tell, it was obvious that Xander was back into that vicious cycle. He was terrified right now and in such a large amount of blinding pain that the only thing that was left was in his mind was the dark memories of the past. Xander probably didn't even realize why he was hurting, all he probably could see was a man with dark goggles that was reaching for him constantly in the blackness of pain and horror. Boris Balkov was still the stuff of nightmares for all the F-Fives._

_Occasionally even Adrien had such feelings, he knew that Kiril woke up in the middle of the night sometimes with nightmares of the bastard – and Boris had never lain a cruel hand on his son. It was a simple matter of just how horrifying that place had been. Everyone was terrified of the place, and Adrien knew full well how much that place affected Tala too._

_Tala though, he'd been in the system long enough to understand how to deal with pain and the trauma. He understood how to deal with those emotions. He understood how to prioritize the suffering. Alessander was a few years shy of reaching that zen like state of tolerance when the Abbey was shut down. He didn't learn how to block it out yet. So he stayed there, in terrifying pain._

_"Hey...you with me, Xander?" Tala whispered slowly. He looked the younger man in the eyes. Despite his phobia of fire, Tala seemed to have regained himself fully from the ordeal. He was obviously still hurting, but he was focused on the task at hand and he wasn't letting distract him._

_"I-I-I..." Xander was stuttering badly, his eyes were sliding in and out of focus. "I-don' know." He finally managed. Tala looked at him intently, staring at him with such a look. He looked over the younger man's head wounds, and cursed about something._

_Adrien could see the massive bruising around the man's temple. He was obviously concussed, and that was only adding to the panic. Panic that was causing him to have a hard time speaking and an even harder time understanding what was going on around him._

_"Alright...shh..." Tala pulled the man to his chest, wincing as his brand was roughly pressed against the younger soldier's body. His head spun, and he concentrated for a moment before letting out a slow breath of air. "You need to breathe." Xander gasped, his body shuddering badly. He held his mangled hand to his chest, and he tried to do as he was told, but in the end nothing made it better. He was too terrified and too hurt to be able to do anything. His mind kept spinning and he kept on mixing up past and reality._

_All he could think of was Boris and the terrible pain that he had gone through at that man's hands. He was shaking with horrible fear and confusion and there was nothing anyone could do. He tried to do as he was told, but in the end he just ended up shaking all the more._

_His breath came out as long shuddering gasps, and Tala whispered softly into his ear to try to ease his soul. He rocked the man back and forth, eyes flowing over the dozens of injuries that marred his disciple's body. He'd moved away from the bruising that pointed to the concussion, and he was staring at the wounds along the rest of the man's body. It was enough to make him shudder – and Tala didn't shudder all that often._

_"Shh...sh...it's okay. It's alright, I'm here for you." Xander was inconsolable though, his body ached too much for him to be able to focus. Tala seemed to understand that too. He sighed and Adrien watched the turmoil come over the good leader's face. He looked like he was struggling long and hard to figure out a way that he could ease the boy's soul._

_"Why'd they do this? Why they do this to them?" Adrien looked over to his father who wouldn't meet his gaze, instead he simply placed his hand on his son's head._

_"People are not as kind as you, child." Mikhail murmured softly. "You do not remember the Abbey, I'll warrant...but I do have to tell you that in places like that...people could be as cruel as what they did to your friend there."_

_"I don't understand..."_

_"I know you don't...but it's the way things are. Not everyone can be as kind and honest as you, child."_

_There before them Tala had a small smile on his face, but before Adrien could ask why his commander was smiling he saw the man hold the other closer to his body. Tala closed his eyes for a moment before whispering into the younger man's ear._

_"Hey Xan...you remember the English alphabet?" The man nodded in his chest. He was still aware enough to follow orders and to hear when they came at him. The only problem was that he didn't know if he could actually follow through on any of his orders. He was weak and feeling miserable, and he didn't want to understand what the alphabet had anything to do with in his current situation. "Say it with me." Tala commanded softly._

_For a moment Adrien gave the man a look as though he were completely insane. He looked at his father, and Mikhail was just smiling lightly. It seemed he was in on this joke. Alessander was in blinding pain and yet Tala wanted him to sing the ABCs? Was he completely mental?_

_"Just watch, dear one. Tala knows what he's doing."_

_"He's completely-"_

_"Right. He's completely right. Just watch. You're not here to comment, just watch."_

_So he watched. Alessander looked like he agreed with Adrien's feelings on the matter, but he was too much of a true blue soldier to just ignore an order from his commanding officer. That just wasn't the type of person that Xander was._

_"Ah-ah-ah-eh. (A)." He started slowly, his tears making it all the harder to pronounce. He already had a concussion, and now he needed to do this?! "Buh-buh-buh-buh-bee (B)." He had to focus on each letter as it came to him, and he was getting dizzy with pain and frustration. He was exhausting himself._

_"Breathe deeply with each letter." Tala commanded once more, his eyes locked onto the man and he rubbed his back. He was eerily calm about the whole situation, as though he'd done this same thing many times before. Adrien shuddered._

_He probably had._

_"S-s-s-s-see. (C)" Deep breath in...he couldn't do it at first. He coughed and gagged, and mumbled something brokenly about not being able too._

_"Yes you can. Do it now." Suddenly there was a dark tone in Tala's voice and he stared straight into Xander's eyes. There was no bark in his voice, but it was clear that he expected the man to do what he asked of him. The man shuddered slightly and nodded. He took a gasping breath and coughed. Tears ran down his face and he couldn't seem to do it right. He wheezed and started ty hyperventilate. "Breathe Xan...you can do it." He gently rubbed the man's back. "Breathe." Then, after a long, hard moment, he did. He took one deep breath in, and he choked it out slowly._

_"D-d-dee.(D)" Deeper breath in, he clenched his fingers around Tala's ruined shirt. He forced himself to do as he was told and to not break that order. "E." He got it in one this time, and once again he took a deep breath. He sucked the air into his abused lungs and he let it out slowly. "E-eff. (F)" Deep breath in. Deep breath out. "G."_

_Through the whole alphabet Xander continued. By the time he reached 'z' he was no longer crying, and now he lay dizzily in his Commander's arms. Tala ran his fingers through his subordinate's hair and let out a breath of relief._

_Adrien could hardly believe what he'd seen. Alessander had been forced to take a few deep breaths and because of the reinforcement, he was slowly forced to calm down. Mikhail was smiling softly._

_"It was a trick we had at the Abbey...when we couldn't get away from the pain...it helped to forget everything." Adrien had to hand it to him. He was right. Tala had known exactly what to do to calm down the other, and it had worked. Now Alessander simply lay down with the headache of one who had cried too hard._

_"How are you doing?" Tala whispered, Alessander nodded into his chest. He felt miserable still, but he wasn't as frantic as he once was. Now he was simply in pain. He was more sensible, and he was able to focus despite being so dizzy. Tala patted his head gently before releasing him. He got a wry smile on his face. "What's your name?" Alessander laughed, shaking his head._

_"Xander Cristov." It was the name that he always used on a mission at least. Tala found himself smiling though. He couldn't help himself. He looked down at him._

_"What day is it?" Tala asked, though it looked like he didn't really know the answer either. He was simply having a right old time laughing about their slightly less then happy predicament._

_"Are you kidding me?" Xander stared at him as though he were crazy. Tala raised an eyebrow. Talk about insubordination. They were on a mission!_

_He had to smile though. That would go down in "Bryan's Book of Strange Mission Experiences" for sure. Who would have thought his sanity would be questioned on a mission like this? Particularly by one of his own men? It certainly had never happened in the past and it tickled him pink to think that it was happening now._

_"No, I'm not. A and O x3 is Awareness and Orientation in knowing your name, date, and time. I passed that class in ISA field training. I even got an 'A' on the quiz!" Xander laughed, shaking his head._

_"Did you even have any quizzes when you joined?" Tala frowned._

_"That's not quite the point..."_

_"Jesus Tala, I'm not even sure what country we're in and you want to know all that shit?" Sure he stopped stuttering, but_

_"Well...you're clearly not very oriented are you?" Xander couldn't help it. He laughed. His head hurt, and he was in a blinding amount of pain, but he couldn't help it. He was happy to hear the joking words. It made him smile at long last._

_Adrien let out a sigh of relief. It made him feel so much better to know that Tala was still able to make light of bad situations even after the branding. He shivered slightly. He didn't want anything to happen to Tala. At the end of the day he really cared for Tala. The man had practically raised him. It was only natural for him to care if Tala was alright._

_He felt his blood run cold at that though. He looked back at his father who was watching his reactions with an almost sad look in his eyes. He opened his mouth to apologize, but the man simply shook his head. There was nothing for him to say. He didn't care any longer. He was dead after all. There was nothing more that he could do._

_"Well then, Oh Great Oriented One, just where are we?" Alessander asked as he stared up at his commander. Tala smiled at the younger man. Xander was getting himself back under control, and even if his humor was sharp and his words kind of cruel he could care less. As long as the other was alive and mostly well he couldn't be happier._

_"We're obviously somewhere in the world." He teased back. He had a pretty good idea that he was in Mecca, but there was no reason to let Xander know about that. Especially if he wasn't right, after all he only had a gut instinct and not any true proof._

_"Oh nice. I'm so glad you've told me such a specific location. You've made me just leap with enthusiasm." Seeing as how Xander looked like he was going to do anything but leap for joy, Tala just giggled slightly under his breath and leaned back against the wall nearest them._

_"You know...you're not very nice when you get exploded." He teased lightly. Even as he was doing so, one of his hands started to trace over all of his own injuries. They lasted the longest on the brand that was on his heart. He closed his eyes and it seemed like he tried to ignore the memories of receiving such a mark. He was still terrified of fire._

_"When I get 'exploded?' Shouldn't it be 'blown up?"'_

_"I don't know." Tala sighed heavily and looked away. He was glancing around the walls of the room they were in. He wanted to figure out everything there was to know about their predicament._

_"Were you really going to ask me what time it was?" Alessander asked after a moment, glancing up at his commander expectantly. He seemed to already know the answer, Adrien certainly did. Mikhail did as well. None of them were surprised with what was said._

_"Of course, A and O remember?"_

_"Bastard."_

_"You know, I think I'm going to write you up when we get home."_

_"Nice."_

_Adrien felt Mikhail touch his shoulder, and suddenly the scene changed._

_Tala was sitting alone now, his arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes were closed. He looked like he was sleeping, and Adrien couldn't help but reach out to touch his face. Almost instantly the man's eyes snapped open and Adrien yelped. He jumped back, but he didn't have the time to do anything else because the door opened just as suddenly._

_A large man stood before him with a helmet of sorts, and Tala growled at the sight. Whatever was going on, Tala clearly didn't like this man or his intents. He straightened up, and he looked murderous almost. He wasn't very happy in the slightest. In fact he was down right seeting with anger._

_"Put this on, and never take it off." The man snapped as he held up the helmet for all to see. Tala sneered at him, clearly not impressed in the slightest. He simply rolled his eyes at the command and he smiled up at the man cheekily._

_"I don't do well with orders, what happens if I ignore that command?" Adrien felt his heart freeze in his chest. His eyes filled with tears almost instantly. He knew what was going to happen._

_"Tala, no!" Adrien shouted in horror, but no one heard him. Mikhail put his hand on his shoulder just as the redhead was viciously assaulted. Adrien squeezed his eyes closed as the man he'd practically known his whole life was beaten brutally. The sight was seered into his mind. It made his mind burn with horror._

_The sounds died away, and when he opened his eyes, he was staring at a room with a bunch of computers in it._

_Five men with helmets stood there with...Anna!_

_She looked almost exactly as he remembered her. She was older, obviously, but it didn't matter. His heart leapt into his chest. Anna was there, and she was with Tala! One of those five had to be Tala! Another just had to be Alessander! It was the only truth that he could think of._

_Anna! Anna was there!_

_He ran forwards, hot anger burning in his body for everything that he thought she deserved to be punished for...but there was his father's voice. Ever present in the back of his mind. He whipped around and stared at the man who looked at him with such sadness in his eyes._

_"Don't be so quick to judge Adrien....she made the same choice that I did...she just did it in a different way."_

_The scene vanished just as suddenly as it had come, and once more they were on the streets of Mecca. Mikhail looked at his son sternly. Their eyes bore into each other with steadfast determination. Adrien felt his heart firm with resolve. He knew exactly what he needed to say and to do. He was determined._

_"We have to save them." Adrien whispered. Just as soon as the words left his mouth, Mikhail vanished and in his place stood Kai. Adrien froze, his eyes widening at the sight of the man. Kai didn't react though. Just like all the other people in his dreams. Kai moved forwards, his eyes staring straight at Adrien._

_The man continued to walk forwards, his body passing straight through Adrien's andwalking on down the road. Just behind him were Spencer and Bryan...and Ian? They were all stony faced and serious and it seems like they were extremely concentrated on whatever it was that they were doing. Adrien could only stare at them in awe._

_"Let them handle it Adrien. That's what they're here for. They've been doing this a long time, they're good at what they do. Let them do their jobs." Mikhail's voice lifted above the city._

_"But-"_

_"I know you want to help, but you know what happened the last time you got involved."_

_Donahue._

_Adrien shivered as their setting suddenly was changed to that underground lair._

_Kiril's frightened screams filled his mind and suddenly his body burst with pain and anguish. He lay flat on his back and Donahue was above him striking him again and again. Each time the teen blinked blearily, the man punched him harder. Donahue finally moved off the teen, even with Kiril screaming for the teen's life. He didn't care. He was incensed. He retrieved his gun and smiled. Then he cocked his gun once more and fired at the barely moving teen. Slumped completely onto the ground, the boy feel eerily still. Tears streamed down the older teen's face as he stared at the body of his dearest companion. "Adrien! Adrien wake up!" Kiril screamed louder and louder, but there was no response. Donahue was back, moving towards him with a murderous glint in his eyes. "I'm going to kill you you bastard, I'm going to kill you!"_

_All the while Adrien lay still, slowly bleeding to death. He couldn't get away from the man, he was too weak and he was too scared. He was terrified. He was absolutely terrified. Not until Donahue finally left him did he feel strong arms wrap around his boy and hold him close._

_It wasn't Kai this time though...this time...it was Mikhail._

_He shuddered as the pain left his body, and he leaned back in his father's arms. That memory had given him nightmares for the longest time. He never told Kiril, but he was terrified of what had happened that night and the pain that it had caused him._

_"Don't continue this journey Adrien." Mikhail whispered softly. He looked at his son with such a sad expression on his face._

_"I-"_

_"You will die...you won't protect Kiril. The both of you are going to die." He held his son so tight, that Adrien couldn't help but feel his heart to ache with the familiar tug. He knew that once he woke up his father was going to leave. This was a dream. Mikhail wasn't going to be there when he woke up._

_"Daddy-" The man held him closer still, and Adrien could have sworn that he saw tears in the man's eyes._

_"Don't do this. Please child. Please don't do this. Don't make me watch my only child die before his time." Mikhail gripped the boy's body ever closer, and Adrien nodded._

_"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm so sorry." Tears were forming in his eyes. He couldn't make his father go through that. He just couldn't! Even if this was a figment of his imagination, he couldn't do that!_

_"Don't protect Kiril to the point that you too loose your life child." Mikhail murmured suddenly, and Adrien glanced up at him, a frown on his face._

_"Daddy?"_

_"Don't go into a well again...don't die for anyone except someone you truly wish to die for." Adrien felt his heart freeze suddenly. He looked at his father seriously for a long while, and took a deep breath._

_"Was she worth it then?" Mikhail smiled softly at his son's innocent inquisition. Was Marina worth it to him? And the answer was simple._

_"Yes, my love, yes. I would die again for her...I only regret I left you to follow my whim when I know you sorely needed me." Adrien felt his heart clench tightly as his father slowly started to drift away. A blinding light caused him to clench his eyes closed, and he winced as he called out for his father once more._

When he opened his eyes to see him...it was over. He was staring at the wall of his room, and a new day had begun. His father was gone, and all that was left was the dark pain in his chest. He looked over towards Kiril and he knew that they needed to leave.

He was going to ignore Kiril for the first time in his life. They were going home.

Now.

**Windstar: **I recently recieved a review questioning why OTT was called "On The Three" and what that meant. As a brief explaination: In the Abbey there was a tower, and in this tower was a bar that was placed three inches off the ground. When Boris was 'punishing' the students there, they were forced to hold onto that bar. As a layman's term around the school, the kids started to call being beaten in the tower being "on the three" because they were holding onto the bar. Hope that clears things up. Don't forget the question above. Until next time.


	16. Standing Up To A Friend Is Never Easy

**Windstar: **In one more chapter things will finally start making sense with Kiril's attitude problems (hopefully). Right now though, a very courageous Adrien decides to do something he's never done before. Thanks to all of the wonderful reviewers, and I know - this chapter is unbelievably short compared to the previous one. In my defense though, the chapter after this is going to be a major plot twist and I kind of have to lead up to it.

This is a very heavy OC chapter. OC involvement will fade slightly after next chapter, but for now they're still heavy players. So bear with it, and get ready for a rather whirlwind twist coming up next chapter.

On a side note, there's been a tragedy at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. Nodar Kumaritashvilli, a luger from Georgia, suffered from a fatal crash on the luge course on Friday the twelfth of February. He crashed on a training run before the opening ceremony, and it was his first trip to the olympics. Ranked fourty-fourth in the world, he never had the chance to embark on his olympic legacy. At this time I would like to take a moment to request that the revierwers of this story send their blessings to his family that are currently grieving.

RIP and God bless.

**Chapter** **Fifteen:**

Adrien stayed up in bed for at least an hour or so. He had given up trying to fall back to sleep and reclaim the image of his father. He tried for quite some time, but in the end he stayed awake and frustrated. He tried to recall the image of the man that meant so much to him, but nothing helped. His skin was cold, and there was no warm feeling of strong arms wrapping around him any longer. He felt his heart breaking in his chest, and the longer he sat there, the more he felt like crying.

His body physically ached for the man. He wanted to be with him again, and he didn't want to wait until he died to do it. He laughed though, very slightly at that thought. It was funny, how a dead man was begging for him to not throw away his life. A dead man who had thrown away his own life...had begged him to be careful with his.

Then another thought seeped into Adrien's brain. Mikhail was always with him, despite the fact that he had died. He was watching him the whole time, and he was deeply hurt by the fact that he couldn't be with his son. That vision of Donahue made the boy shudder, but at the same time it spoke of the man's soul.

Mikhail wanted to be the one to hold him when the F-Officers had stormed the fort. He wanted to be the one to carry him from the lair. He wanted to be there...but he couldn't. There was no possible way. He could only watch as Kai did his job for him. Adrien felt a stab of pity for the man. He was hurting in a way that he could never understand. Mikhail truly regretted dying for Marina. He may have said otherwise, but Adrien could feel it in his bones.

Mikhail wanted to live...throwing his life away had solved nothing.

Adrien couldn't help but wonder next, if his mother was watching him as well. He didn't know who his mother was, and he didn't know anything about her other then she'd been a prostitute that his father had fallen in love with. He knew that his father kept saying that he was a wanted child and that he was everything Mikhail dreamed of for a boy, but he still wanted to know more about his mother. Who was she really?

Was she beautiful? Did she give him his green eyes? He had always wanted to know more, but no one knew who she was...

Bryan had told him once that Mikhail had just shown up at the Abbey one day with him in his jacket. He remembered the other blader looking frantic, and there were two guards at either side of him. Boris had found the whole thing very funny...then again he'd always had a sick sense of humor, and that was that. Such things were not entirely uncommon. People brought new recruits to the Abbey all the time. They didn't however, usually cry as they did so.

Bryan said it was the only time he'd ever seen Mikhail cry.

Adrien wondered if he was lying to him to make him feel better about a man he'd barely known.

Anna seemed to know more about the situation though. He remembered seeing her in Mikhail Hall every once and a while. She would look up at the various photos, or rather still shots, that had been collected of the blader. He felt strange during the times he saw her though. There she would be, staring up at the wall in such complete sadness that he often wondered if she was ever in love with his father.

He never spoke to her about it for that very reason. Whether because he didn't want to know the answer, whether it was because he he suspected it was probably a no, or because he didn't want to break her heart... Somehow he knew that the relationship between the two of them was something special. Perhaps not as close as she was with the other Officers, and he didn't get the same feeling towards those photos as he did when she and Luka were together...but he couldn't help but feel like there was something else. They didn't view each other as siblings, that was for certain. Perhaps just a deep friendship. It wasn't a doubt in his mind though, that had Tala never existed...Mikhail would have been the one that Anna would have fallen in love with.

She cared deeply for his father, they were not normal friends in that sense. She probably loved him in her own way, and he was certain that his father loved her too. It was probably why she had always gone out of her way to hold him when it looked like he needed someone there. She always included him in everything, and she was always looking at him as though he was someone else. He didn't really like Anna all that much because of it, but he didn't blame her either.

He loved her for who she was, how could he not? He just couldn't accept that in her eyes, he was simply the last tie she had left to the man she could have fallen in love with. Adrien didn't dare talk to her about Mikhail, and he certainly wouldn't talk to her about him if she ever came back.

His blood burned angrily. He knew his father had told him not to be so quick to judge, but he couldn't help it. How dare she do what she did? How dare she?! Glowering, and needing to move around, he slipped out of bed and slinked slowly out of the room. He couldn't stay there for much longer, he was too irritated and too frustrated to do that.

He walked slowly down the hall, every wary of the fact that any moment now someone could come around the corner and recognize him. He wasn't entirely certain that Kai hadn't seen them the day before. Kiril had for some stupid reason had laughed slightly under his breath, and Adrien had stared through the branches as Kai's face whipped around. He scanned the room to try to find the source of the laugh, and then left.

Adrien walked down to the lobby without any interactions though, and so he felt confident enough to move towards the desk. The man behind the counter glanced up at him, and asked him something in a language that most certainly was not Arabic. Raising his eyebrows at the odd words, Adrien shook his head and responded in their neutral tongue.

"I'm looking for a friend of mine." He said evenly. The man nodded, staring at him casually. Adrien removed his cell phone from his pocket and showed it to the man. He'd pulled up a picture of the good Captain from nearly a year ago.

Kai was laughing about something or other, and he and Bryan were joking around. They looked rather buzzed, and they probably were. It was the last time any of them really had anything to smile about. It was before Donahue, and well before Tala had been captured. They were all feeling light-hearted, and Adrien had caught the photo as more of a memorabilia. He hadn't known then just how often he'd look at that photo, pining for the day they'd be like that again.

"Ah, yes. Thi'bun." The man said as he pointed to the picture.

"I was wondering, could you tell me where Thi'bun's room is? It's imperative that I speak with him." The man hesitated for a second and then shook his head.

"I cannot release any information about any of our guests."

"He's my uncle," Calling him his father so soon after Mikhail's dream wasn't something he could even think about doing. "it's vitally important-"

"I am sorry. There is nothing that I can do. Without a price..." Adrien scowled, and raised his hand from his pocket where he'd been thumbing a few bills.

"How much?"

It took a hundred more then he really wanted to pay for him to find out the room number. It was another hundred to find out that Mr. Thi'bun's guests: Saqr, Numair, and Mundhir where also there. Adrien had to hand it to his subconscious...somehow it knew that Ian was involved, and he never would have guessed that in any other circumstance. Especially since Ian was much like a hated person these days.

He walked up the next few flights of stairs, his goal set in his mind, he needed to talk to Kai...or at least, he needed to see for himself that he was really working on this. He couldn't go to Kiril and have him believe him when there was no proof that any of their dreams were coming true.

He made it to the door and he leaned forward, listening inside. There wasn't even breathing. Taking that as a good thing, he knocked just to make sure. No sound. Sighing with relief (because in all honesty if he could find the information without having to rely on talking to Kai the better) he removed a card from his pocket and started to jimmy the lock. Only a few moments later he gained access to the room.

He peered quietly around the door, and he licked his lips with anticipation. He had a lot that he needed to look for, and only a short amount of time to do it in. Carefully he slipped into the room, and he started to walk forwards. He didn't make it very far. Almost instantly he was gripped roughly from behind and his head was bashed painfully into the door frame. He screamed out, shouting his name to his offender.

"Stop, stop! It's Adrien!" The hold on him lessened slightly, but he was quickly spun about so he came face to face with the father-like figure he always knew was an assassin at heart. Kai was staring at him with such a look of horror though, and he knew that the other felt badly for what he'd done.

"Adrien, what in God's name are you doing here?" His fingers were instantly prodding where he'd attacked the would be intruder, but Adrien barely took note to care. He was still trying to figure out how he'd missed hearing if Kai was there or not. He was certain he'd made sure that no one was in the room. So how on Earth??!

"I...was trying to tell you we were here..."

"We?" Bryan was there suddenly, walking through the very same door that had just served as Adrien's whipping post. He nodded blearily, still trying to blink the fog out of his mind. He wasn't completely confused, he was just a little out of it from the blow.

"Most likely Kiril's here if Adrien's here." Ian now! He groaned as Kai hit a particularly tender part and then suddenly his head was released.

"That would mean that Kiril's out of the hospital." Spencer added as he walked towards the group. Bryan shut the door behind him. "I heard he woke up, not that he'd left to go gallivanting around the world." Adrien grimaced slightly.

"So I suppose the next question is, oh great idiotic ones, why are you telling us?" The black haired fire master asked. Adrien sighed and raised a hand to inspect the wound himself. It wasn't bad, but he was likely to bruise a little.

"In case I can't get Kiril to go home...maybe-"

"Do my ears deceive me or is Adrien actually talking about ignoring Kiril's godly commands?" Bryan grumbled, his eyes boring straight into the teen's soul.

"Bryan, shut up for a minute. Adrien...why do you want to bring Kiril home? Wasn't it you twos idea to come here?" Kai snapped at his friend before focusing solely on the boy before him.

"Yes...but I had a dream of my dad-" He couldn't help but feel slightly guilty for some reason when he saw Kai's face shrink slightly at that. Kai knew that he wasn't his father, he had no need to feel guilty. Still...

"Mikhail?" Bryan whipped around suddenly, and he felt his face pale slightly.

"Yeah..."

"Why don't you tell us what's going on?" His foster father told him gently as he motioned for the bed in the room, and he eagerly sat down.

Several floors and rooms in a different direction, Kiril shifted slightly in bed. He yawned loudly and blinked a few times before glancing over to the bed next to his and frowning. It was more then obvious his companion was gone...what he didn't understand is why he wasn't notified of it before it happened. He glowered as he sat up.

"Adrien!?" He called out, half suspecting the boy to be in the bathroom. He wasn't quite prepared for the utter silence that met his ears. Hot fury flooded his veins. He was not happy right now. Not happy at all. The door knob turned and he stared at it with his eyes sharp and one of his hands slipping under his pillow to grab a knife. He'd gotten the idea from his brother who he saw use it once.

The brunette was standing at the door, his head down and his hands filled with cups of hot drinks. One for him, and one for his friend. He looked up when he saw Kiril and he attempted a smile. He raised one of the cups up as a peace offering. He knew he was going to get into trouble for this.

"Where the hell have you been?" He held up the hot drink.

"Cocao?" He said weakly, biting his lip as he attempted to hand it to the other. Kiril glowered angrily and slapped the hand away. Instinctively Adrien's fingers tensed on the drink to try to catch it, but the Styrofoam crumbled under his hold and hot water exploded onto his hand, arm, and chest. The shock made him drop the other cup and it landed on its bottom – splashing his leg as well. He groaned and tried to hold his scalded hand, but it only made it worse. Kiril said nothing as he looked at him painfully. "May I...use the sink...?" He whispered painfully, and the other frowned at him.

"No, I need the bathroom." Kiril shoved passed him and into the space, and Adrien felt his heart crumble slightly. As soon as the door was closed though, he pulled off his ruined shirt and pressed his scalded hand to his chest. Tears started to form in his eyes as the burn set in deeper. He kicked of his pants and pressed his skin with a blanket to wipe the liquid off.

Ten minutes later, the would-be-Prince-of-the-World appeared and glanced at where he'd managed to lightly dress the injuries. A bit of pity appeared in his eyes and he looked at Adrien worriedly for a moment. The brunette smiled bitterly, trying to show that he was alright.

"I'll be fine, sir." He whispered, using the honorific if only because that was the type of mood Kiril had apparently woken up with. Though one never could really tell. At times he had such a complete personality change that Adrien couldn't keep up with it. Some times Kiril was kind and happy, other times he seemed to be only out to hurt him.

_"Don't protect Kiril to the point that you too loose your life child."_

He shuddered slightly at his father's words. Which Kiril was he supposed to protect now? The one that his father had protected? Or the one that was hell bent on harming him at the smallest sign of trouble?

"I...didn't mean to-"

"I know." Right now he didn't really want to listen to Kiril's excuses. It made him feel odd to think like this too. He had never blatantly disobeyed or thought at all about doing anything less then what he asked of him. Now...now he felt like everything about the other boy was annoying him. He actually felt like arguing. He honestly felt like disobeying right now.

"I'm sorry..." But then he'd look at him with those soulful eyes, and his anger would vanish. His body still hurt, but he didn't care. Not anymore. Suddenly Kiril's eyes brightened. He smiled up at his companion. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I thought you could sleep in." He replied softly.

Kiril nodded vaguely and moved to start getting dressed for the day. Suddenly he was in a surprisingly bright mood, or at least as bright of a mood as could be expected for one who was hell bent on revenge. For a heart breaking moment, Adrien wondered if his friend even knew who he wanted to die...he wanted to know if for a moment Kiril had seen him as the enemy...and that was why he'd been burnt. Kiril wanted to kill whoever had touched his brother so bad right now that he could practically taste it. His blood was pumped, and he could hardly wait.

"Kiril?" Adrien whispered softly. He shifted in place for a moment, knowing his companion wasn't going to like this. Considering how he had been treated the last time he had done something unfavorable....he wasn't too thrilled on how all of this was going to work out. Kiril's mood recently hadn't be the best and his homicidal tendencies had only made things worse.

The other boy barely took notice of him, however. In fact, he seemed to be off in his own little world. He was humming their school's mock anthem under his breath, and he didn't seem capable of paying attention to anyone other than himself.

"Kiril?" Adrien repeated as the words started to instate themselves into his mind...

_Do you hear the people sing?  
Singing a song of angry men?  
It is the music of a people  
Who will not be slaves again!  
When the beating of your heart  
Echoes the beating of the drums  
There is a life about to start  
When tomorrow comes!  
Will you join in our crusade?  
Who will be strong and stand with me?  
Beyond the barricade  
Is there a world you long to see?  
Then join in the fight  
That will give you the right to be free!  
Do you hear the people sing?  
Singing a song of angry men?  
It is the music of a people  
Who will not be slaves again!  
When the beating of your heart  
Echoes the beating of the drums  
There is a life about to start  
When tomorrow comes!_

Somehow he didn't feel like that was entirely inappropriate, but at the same time it made him feel quite miserable. He pulled on a pair of fresh clothes, and then turned to look at the other who was finishing up his rather impromptu version of their theme song. "Kiril..I need to talk to you." The bronze haired boy frowned and glanced over to him. Adrien was standing there before him, fully dressed in torn jeans, a T-shirt and an unzipped hoodie. He didn't look ready for their mission at all, and that irritated the older boy who was getting dressed with that one thought in mind. He scowled.

"We're leaving in ten minutes, you should change." He said, his annoyance clear in his voice. Adrien sighed. Clearly the other hadn't heard a word he'd said. He had expected as much...but still...

"Kiril, I need to talk to you about something important." Adrien grabbed onto his friend's arm and forced him to look him in the eye. The older boy scowled, glowering at him angrily. To his credit, Adrien didn't flinch. He'd seen enough of this boy's temper tantrums in his fifteen years to be used to them when they appeared.

"What _are _you going on about?" He hissed, temper flaring. Adrien winced, but held his ground. He didn't care if Kiril hated him for this later. In fact, he almost wished for it because a part of him was sick and tired of the other boy. A very dark part of him wanted Kiril to just disappear.

_No! Don't think such things!_ His father's voice whispered in his ear. He froze. Maybe he really was going crazy. He shuddered slightly. His father was right though. He shouldn't think such thoughts...his heart would break if Kiril disappeared on him. He wouldn't know what to do with himself.

He blamed the thoughts on exhaustion. He never would have thought about such things if he had been fully rested. He took a deep breath though. There were things that he needed to do, and Kiril needed to start coming with him on this. They needed to leave before everything went to hell in a hand basket.

"I had a dream-"

"Oh really? A dream? While you were sleeping? Amazing." Adrien felt his face flush from embarrassment. He didn't mean for it to come out like that, and now that it had, he felt like an idiot. He was not some Martin Luther King Jr. fanatic who was giving a speech! Glowering at his own incompetence he took a deep breath and started over.

"We should go home." He said weakly, still flustered from the sting that Kiril had snapped at him.

"Excuse me?"

"We should go home." He repeated, feeling a little bit stronger now. He took a deep breath, his heart was pounding heavily in his chest, and he needed to get this out. "My dad-"

"Is dead." He winced at the cold words. Just because it was true, didn't mean that Kiril had the right to make him feel so horrible. He longed for his father to be with him each day, just as he knew Kiril longed for Tala to be with him each day. It wasn't fair for Kiril to bite at him like that. It just wasn't!

"He said-"

"Mikhail's dead! He's dead!" Kiril shouted, grabbing Adrien's shirt and pulling him close for a brief moment before slamming his back against the wall. The brunette winced. For a brief moment he thought that he was going to be punched in the head. He didn't think that his temple could handle it. Kai was nothing if not thorough.

He was going to have too many problems soon if things continued the way they were. As it was his body still hurt from the scalds and the bruise that was forming on his temple. He was not looking forwards to anything that had to do with more pain at the moment. He wast too tired, too hurt, and too not interested.

It didn't matter.

He knew what he had to do. He had to convince Kiril to go home. There were no ifs, ands, or buts. That was what needed to happen. So help him if he didn't do it. Kai and the others would forcibly put him on that air plane back to Russia, but nothing would stop Kiril from returning by himself. He had the passion in him to do it.

"He said we were going to die." He continued on, looking at his companion with clear eyes. He didn't care if Kiril thought he was crazy. He knew the truth. He knew what had happened, and he knew that his dream had been right. He knew.

"You're taking advice from dead men in dreams?" The older boy hissed, his voice like ice. He was glaring hatefully at the younger boy, and Adrien felt himself force back a blush. He would not be embarrassed. He would not be embarrassed!

"He's my father." He said strongly. That was what he strongly believed. He wouldn't let Kiril take that from him.

"He's your subconscious! You're scared about the mission and you miss your dad! Two and two is four you dumb brat! That's what dreams are! They take your strongest desires and they make them possible! It's fake! It's all fake! You're not psychic! You're not special! You're just a dumb-ass!" Kiril was glaring at him with complete and total anger in his eyes.

"The other F-Officers are all here! Bryan and Spencer and Kai! All three of them! Even Ian's here!"

"Why on earth would you think Ian would be here? He never gets involved with anything! He just sits around and whines. Just like you!"

"I checked! While you were asleep, I checked to see if it was right! Everything was right! They're all here! They're all here and they're all on a mission!"

"Well who cares? We knew that they were here!"

"We should just let them do their jobs!"

"This is our job!"

"No it isn't! We don't have this job! Our job is to get good grades in school, eat all our vegetables, and not be complete nuisances to the people around us! Don't you remember what happened with Donahue?! We suck at this job! We should just let them do it without having them worry about saving us in the end! They're just going to mess up if we get involved and then we'll be screwed! Then nothing will work out the way we want it too!"

"You're just scared to get hurt!" Kiril growled, eyes raging with a dark fire that could give Black Dranzer a run for her money.

"No, I'm not. I'd gladly get shot and beaten half to death for you any time. I would gladly protect you like that any time you needed me too. That isn't what this is about. I can't protect you if we're both dead! I can't do anything if at the end of the day the both of us die because of our own foolishness! I can't do that!"

"My brother's dead! Who was there to save him!? They deserve to die! Those bastards deserve to die! They killed Tala! They killed him! Anna betrayed him and then she killed him! She fucking murdered him! They all deserve to burn in hell!"

"Maybe they do, but Tala and Xander aren't dead." Kiril hesitated. "Think about it! Kai and Bryan are idiots when they let their tempers loose. Do you really think they wouldn't have initiated a massacre – at the very least a few arrests if someone killed your brother? They love Tala more then words could say! If Kai didn't have Adeline, he probably would have jumped Tala they're so close!" Kiril blinked at that and Adrien attempted a grin. "I'm kidding..." He mumbled, before continuing. "You know it's true though Kiril. You know that at least Kai would have stormed the fort and taken out a few heads – even Anna's if she were responsible for killing Tala. Bryan wouldn't have even bothered with storming the fort he would have just blown it up."

"I-I don't know..."

"You do know. Tala means the world to them, they'd be the first to avenge his death. He's alive Kiril. He's alive, and they already have a plan on saving him. It's what they're here for! They wouldn't just stick around for months on end because they felt like it. They have something that they're planning on doing and they need to exact their plan. Us getting in the way will only make things worse."

"I..." Adrien sighed as he looked at his friend levelly. Kiril looked like he was starting to break, awareness was flooding his eyes and it was obvious that he was starting to doubt. His grip on his shirt was starting to get a little weaker as well.

"We're not the people who should be doing this Kiril. We're not trained, we don't have any information, we don't know who or what's going on. Everything is just a web of lies and deceit...no one's saying anything to anyone. If we go in there, we're just going to make things worse. Maybe Tala really will die then."

It was the exact reaction he was hoping for. He couldn't have been happier.

Kiril flinched, his eyes down cast. He knew Adrien was right, but he longed to make the man who'd burned his brother pay. He longed to exact revenge on Anna for everything she had and hadn't done. How dare she leave him? How dare she break Luka's heart? How dare she do all that she'd done? He just wanted to get everyone who had broken his family and his home to just die!

If they stayed though...Tala could be killed. Their last attempt at a mission hadn't gone very well. If he did something wrong...and Tala died...what would he do? He would be destroyed. Then he couldn't blame anyone but himself...then he would simply be responsible for the death of his brother. It wouldn't be Anna's fault. It wouldn't be that bastard who burned his brother's fault. It would be no one's fault but his own. He would have been the one that killed him.

He couldn't do it.

Revenge wasn't worth that to him.

"Let's go home Kiril." The brunette whispered. "We shouldn't be here." And when Kiril looked up to meet his gaze, Adrien could see...his friend agreed.


	17. Me, myself, and Kai?

**Windstar: **This is how unbelievably spoiled you all are: instead of studying for a math test I'm uploading another chapter because I can and because I love you all. Next update's going to be sometime on monday or wednesday.

At the end of this chapter we'll have time looped to the beginning, so I hope you're ready for the _real _story now that the beginning has all been taken care of. This is a whirlwind of a ride and hopefully a lot of things are taken care of.

Thanks once more to all of my reviewers!

On one of my usual side notes: **what the fuck is wrong with people**? Honestly, if anyone watched the mens figure skating competition at the Olympics they would have seen a distinct homophobic judging score in the panel. 19 year old Patrick Chan of Canada _somehow _got into fifth place behind Lambiel and yet the both of them who _fell _multiple times, and did not skate clean either in their short program or their free skate scored above the flawless performance of Johnny Weir. I'm not a pro at skating, I don't know jack compared to the pros either - but seriously. Call it as it is. If someone FALLS several times. If they mess up A LOT. If they are stumbling and looking BAD. THEY DO NOT DESERVE TO GET ABOVE A FLAWLESS PERFORMANCE!I've never seen a more disgusting show of poor judging. A man who skated perfectly both times was scored so badly that it was sickening. I have no respect for Canada's completely ridiculous judging system. This is more then a little black mark on their record - it's downright disgusting.

Maybe he didn't deserve silver or gold, but he did better then Daisuke Takahashi of Japan too! Screw Canada HARD for their blatant show of favoritism and poor judging. Shame on them. Seriously. Just because someone's gay doesn't mean you can judge someone so poorly. That's just completely disgusting.

A bronze medalist in my heart: Good skate Johnny Weir.

Disclaimer: Same.

**Chapter Sixteen: **

Silence filled the room, and Kiril stared wearily towards the floor. It was obvious that his resolve had completely faded by now. Who would have ever thought that Adrien was the one who had crumbled his will for revenge so much? There certainly was a first time for everything.

"I...I want to talk to Kai...before we leave." He said at long last. Adrien nodded. It was what he was hoping the could do anyway.

He let out a sight of relief when Kiril released his shirt. He'd never broken a promise before, and he wasn't going to start now. Especially not a promise to his father.

Kiril frowned all of a sudden, his eyes going up to Adrien's face. He touched the swelling there in dumb horror. Shock couldn't even begin to describe it. He looked completely dumbfounded at the sight of the bruising that was starting to form there.

Adrien couldn't help but laugh. Kiril had no problem hurting him, but if he'd been injured previously he was traumatized! It was completely and totally laughable.

"What happened?" The older boy asked, concern evident in his voice. He looked so horrified that some form of harm had befallen his friend.

"I, eh, had a run in with a door." He admitted sheepishly. He wasn't going to say that the door actually stood still and he was forcibly propelled into it, that probably wouldn't go over too well with him. After all – he'd just gotten Kiril to agree to go home. Lets not tempt fate, as it were. "Just jumped out and attacked me!" Or at least Kai had. Again...why bring that up when he needed Kiril to get home? Maybe in a few years or months he'd say something, but right now he was quite content with his door theory. There was no need to tempt fate.

"Did it now?" There was something odd in his friend's voice, but he just smiled through it. There was absolutely not one bone in his body that wanted to tell him about what Kai had done. It was an accident.

To Kai, who lived every day with the fear of someone coming to kill him or his loved ones, there was no other option then to react the way he had. Adrien had physically broken into his hotel room. He'd already displayed suspicious activity. There was nothing wrong with the way he had acted, and the remorse that he'd had afterward was completely honest and on his sleeve.

It had been the first time in a long while that Kai had simply wrapped his arms around him and held him to his chest wishing him well. Kai barely did actions of the sort. He gave hugs and he ruffled hair, but it was nothing like the warm and compassionate hug that was so fatherly that Adrien almost wanted to stay with him in that moment. He was already weak hearted for his parents, having Kai hold him like that had made him needy for more attention.

"Freak accidents." He smiled happily, but his friend wasn't buying it. His eyes were flashing with anger. Or at least disbelief. Adrien tried to smile, and rubbed the bruise slightly with his hand. He was starting to feel slightly self conscious about everything now that he was staring his friend in the face. Now that he thought about it...doors jumping out of walls and attacking him didn't quite seem like a very believable answer. No wonder Kiril was glowering at him with such disbelief.

"Adrien?" There was some eerie quality in the teen's voice, and the brunette was stabbed with a wave of unease. He didn't like how this was going, time to change the subject.

"Don't worry about it Kiril. I'm fine. You wanted to talk to Kai didn't you?"

"Ah...yes..." There was a brief silence after that. Kiril still looked at Adrien as though he was hiding something, but he had no proof. There was nothing at all that made Kiril think it could be something more. Adrien never lied to him...right?

He looked up at his friend once more, and then suddenly he felt a stabbing wave of dizziness that made him feel as though he was going to fall over any second. He hissed, seeing several images of everything around him, he blinked rapidly – trying to focus.

"Kiril?" Adrien whispered worriedly. He reached out as the other swayed slightly, and Kiril clutched onto his arms. The brunette hissed as his scald hurt painfully under the other's grip. "You alright?" He muttered through the pain.

"I-" Brown eyes widened, and his hand snapped out to grab the younger boy's wrist. He was shaking, horror painted over his features. He looked absolutely shocked, and so stunned was he by what he was seeing that he lost balance and ended up dragging the both of them towards the bed to sit down. "Adrien-what happened to your hand?!"

Completely frozen and with no sense of understanding of what was going on, Adrien could do nothing but stare at his friend. He too had been overrun by shock, only _his _shock was different then what the other boy was experiencing. Where Kiril seemed, somehow, truly flabbergasted at what had happened; Adrien was completely unsure of what on earth was going on. He blinked a few times, unsure of how he should continue.

Kiril didn't wait for him to say anything though. He pulled back the younger boy's sleeve and stared at the scald wound. He was shaking slightly. He couldn't believe it. Yet even though Adrien tried to find it...he found no traces of deceit in Kiril's eyes. The other boy honestly had no idea what had happened. That didn't make any sense....

That did not make any sense!

"Kiril...are you feeling alright?" He asked, not sure if that was the question he wanted or needed to ask or what. He was getting scared now. What the hell?! What on earth was going on?

"I, me, yes! I'm not the one who's got a burn on them! Where else are you hurt? Anywhere? Did you even put cold water on this? It looks recent!"

"You were there when it happened Kiril." He said slowly. No need to place blame just yet. Not just yet...he still needed to figure out what was going on in his friend's head. Right now he just didn't get it. Kiril recoiled.

"What?"

"You asked if I was alright." The sixteen year old stared at him slack jawed. He looked like he couldn't understand the words that were even coming out of his mouth. Where had that memory gone? He would have remembered that wouldn't he have? He definitely would have...

_I do now...just at the completely wrong time...Completely wrong..._

"I...I did?"

"Kiril...are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"Did...did I do that?" Adrien set his jaw. No way was he saying anything now. Not when Kiril so obviously didn't understand what was going on. He didn't even remember! How could he blame someone who couldn't remember what was going on? "Tell me Adrien!" The other was frantic. He looked terrified!

"I dropped a cup of hot cocoa. I tried to catch it and I squeezed it to hard. It came out of the top and burned me. It was my fault." It was the truth. There was absolutely no need to tell him that he had been responsible for the cup burning him in the first place. Nothing in the world would make him say that. Not with Kiril acting like this.

"Don't lie to me." The sudden harsh chill in the other's voice made the brunette feel like he'd been through the ringer. What the hell was going on now? Unconsciously he stood up, taking a step back from him. His heart was pounding in his chest far faster than ever before. Kiril was scaring him more then Donahue at the moment.

Kiril was looking at him with such a dark look in his eyes, that he felt like he was under the cross-hairs. Never before had he felt like prey...with Donahue he'd been simply terrified because of what was happening. With Kiril though...he felt hunted. He felt like Kiril was purposefully trying to terrify him to the point that he simply had to run away.

"Adrien, why do you keep lying to me?" Kiril asked slowly, his eyes flashing as he stood up. He was still staring at him with such a dark and angry look that the brunette felt his fingers start to twitch at his sides. Kiril was moving closer now, and the closer he got, the more terrified Adrien felt. "Stop lying to me!" The bronze haired teen snapped his fist out, but it never got to his target.

_NO! I didn't mean that! I'm sorry!  
_

Terrified and running on instinct alone, Adrien ducked to the left and ran towards the door. Kiril dove towards him and tackled him to the ground. The teen screamed, his heart pounding in his chest. He kicked and twisted, but that did nothing to remove the older teen from him. Only when he at long last used the fact that he was simply broader built after all the months Kiril had been in a coma, did Adrien manage to rush the door.

He threw it open just as Kiril managed to get to his feet, and ran blindly into the hall. He barely understood what was happening when someone caught his shoulders and tugged at him. He struck out, but Kai's soft voice filled his ear.

"Calm down Adrien." He whispered softly, and the boy fell still in his hold. He didn't particularly know what was happening, but he knew that wherever Kai was he felt safe. He could feel the man looking past him and into the room. Kai was staring straight at his nephew's face. His eyebrows were knitted together and he held Adrien lightly to his chest. Not too far away Bryan and the others were watching the scene with avid interest.

"Those burns weren't there two hours ago, Adrien." Bryan murmured softly as he stared at the injury. The brunette didn't respond, his heart just kept pounding harder and harder in his chest. He was confused and overwhelmed, and he was terrified of what kept happening.

"Calm down Kiril." Kai ordered, his voice dropping deeply. The young teen in his arms was visibly shaking, and he did not like it. Adrien's was holding onto the back of his shirt with all the strength he had and Kai was not pleased with how everything was turning out.

"Don't fuckin' tell me what to do _Uncle _Kai." The suddenly combative teen hissed.

"Don't fucking forget who you are, _stupid _brat!"

Kiril blinked, his eyes widening suddenly. He stared at Kai for what seemed like a few hours. He took in every detail. The black hair that used to be silver. The face that was free from paint. The clothes that were dictated by the mission he was currently in. He was completely and totally filled with the commanding presence of one who knew everything and one one that was ready to destroy everything.

Kai did not flinch. He didn't stutter, he didn't blink. When he wanted something done he was cold and calculating and he gave no mercy. He was a consummate soldier and even though he played businessmen, he was truly better equipped for the field. There was a reason Tala never really said that Bryan was his official second. Bryan knew it too. Bryan was good. Kai was better. It was always the case, and it was a practice they were well used too.

Kiril had rarely seen Kai in full mission mode. Donahue had been the first time he'd ever seen the true danger in Kai's eyes. Words could not describe how Kai looked that night. He seriously appeared as though he would have murdered him because of the damage that had been caused to Adrien that night. Kai hadn't been pleased then, and he looked less then pleased now.

"U-Uncle Kai?" He sounded confused. The man nodded slowly, the mission presence was still dominating his being. He was not letting his guard down for anything. There was nothing in his body that was willing to allow him to do that until he had everything under control. Adrien crying in his arms was not under his control.

"Bryan, take Adrien back to the room and check his hand and leg." He said slowly, his eyes never once leaving Kiril's face.

"His leg?" The other looked down and noticed the slight way Adrien had been balancing. Glowering, Bryan nodded and started forwards. He touched the boy's hair and leaned close. "Come on kid, everything's going to be fine. Let Kai handle things. He's good at this..."

Adrien shook his head though, he pressed it closer to Kai's chest. Tears were seeping from his eyes and it seemed like he'd honestly just had enough. His head couldn't ake this anymore. He was just fifteen years old! He didn't understand what was going on and he didn't like it one bit. His head hurt too much for this. He was only a kid, and right now he wanted to be treated like one.

"Adrien...Mikhail would want you to go now. He wouldn't want you to see this." Kai whispered softly.

Kai knew which buttons to press too it seemed, because all of a sudden Adrien released him and shifted bonelessly into Bryan's arms. The man held him upright though, and slowly they started to head down the hallway.

"Spence, Ivan, go with him." The two looked like they were going to protest, bu Kai leveled them with a dark look. They hesitated for only a moment longer and then they nodded and ran off to catch up with Bryan. Spencer helped support Adrien a bit better as they kept going. "Kiril...sit down." He ordered, and the teen nodded. His knees gave out as he clutched his head. All the while he stared at someplace far off without really seeming to see it.

"What's wrong with me?" He whispered weakly. Tears were falling down his face, and he felt like nothing made sense anymore. He looked up at Kai with fear flooding his vision. "Where are we? What am I doing here? Why's Adrien hurt? What's going on Uncle Kai?" He looked so terribly lost and confused that Kai could only sigh.

"We're in Mecca, Saudi Arabia Kiril." Kai answered the second question first. The rest were going to be a lot longer to discuss and they probably were going to need to take a great deal more effort to do so. "What's the last thing you remember?" He walked closer, closing the door and kneeling before his nephew. He met the boy's trembling eyes with such a kind and honest look.

He wasn't in mission mode anymore.

"I...we..." He looked up guiltily.

"You're in Saudi Arabia Kid, I doubt you could get in any more trouble even if you tried." He moved the teen's bangs out of his eyes.

"We broke into Bryan's office." He mumbled softly. He looked rather guilty to be honest, and Kai snorted. Out of everything that had happened he was concerned with such a small thing such as that? They'd broken into Tala's office numerous times, Bryan wasn't as high up in the food chain as Tala was, so one would think that it wouldn't have been that bad.

"That was you, huh? Who _knew _you could be so devious?" Kiril looked at him with confusion obvious on his face. He didn't understand the sarcasm, and Kai sighed. Why'd he always get stuck doing the dirty work?

"What's going on?"

"What's the last thing you remember in Bry's office?"

"Tala."

"You saw his photos?"

"Yes."

"Then what?"

"Then-" He looked at Kai in confusion.

"Then you were here...?"

"No...I...then...the plane..." He clenched his eyes.

"Hah, yeah, I'd expect you to be aware of something as boring and mundane as a plane ride." Brave words coming from someone with such a phobia of airplanes.

"Kai-" He hesitated. Tears forming fast. "Am I going crazy?"

"It's not insanity." He replied gently, touching Kiril's face with such tender softness. He smiled at him with as much love and sincerity he could muster. "You won't remember this, but a long time ago you started to get angry with things around you." Kiril felt his nose start to run, and he wiped it with the back of his hand. "Do you remember when Adrien fell into the well?

"Yeah..."

"Would it surprise you to hear that you told him to jump in?" Kiril opened his mouth to refuse, but then froze. Words from the past filtered into his mind, but it hadn't happened like that...right? That wasn't what had happened...

"W-Why would he listen to-"

"Don't give me that bull. You know full well that boy will do whatever you say."

"But jump in a well?!"

"There's a reason why people at the school have steadily ceased being all too thrilled with you." Kai sighed and gently flattened down his hair. For many years this had been a sort of secret that they had kept from him. It wasn't necessarily the fact that they wanted to keep it a secret from it, it was more of the fact that none of them knew how to tell him. How did one tell someone that they had an alternate personality that was hellbent on causing trouble and making things more then a little difficult for them?

He loved Kiril more then words could say, but he knew more then anything that the boy was in desperate need for a love that he couldn't provide. He physically couldn't help Kiril the way he needed to be helped. The only thing that the teen needed was his parents. Kai had tried explaining that same thing to Tala more times then he could remember, but in the end it was simply impossible to have things change for the best.

Tala was struggling to give Kiril the mother he needed, or at least the mother Tala thought he needed. He honestly had lost any thought of him being a good father to the boy. He thought of himself as being more of someone who forced the boy's other side to come out more. Kiril was only extraordinarily angry or oppressive _whenever _Tala was involved, so who could really blame Tala for keeping away more and more. He honestly thought he was making things better by his absence, instead of worse.

Kai had tried to tell him that he was being stupid, but Tala was too heart broken by everything else that was happening in his life to really be able to put two and two together. The last time they'd spoken about it, it definitely seemed like Tala understood what he was getting at. He even said something about quitting the ISA.

_"I want to make things better."_

_"You need to talk to him, letting things just stay the way they are isn't going to help anything!"_

_"When I come back from this mission...I'm quitting the ISA. Bry can lead it if he really wants too...I'm going to stay at the school and make things better..."_

Then Kiril just had to watch Tala die. He had to watch it, and follow them to Mecca. Kai couldn't help but smile at life's little ironies.

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" Kiril sniffed, rubbing tears from his eyes. Kai sighed heavily.

"How would we know you'd actually hear what we'd say? If we told you, but you weren't yourself, then you really wouldn't know."

"I know now!"

"You think you're going insane, I'm not going to just let you think that. I let you know instead of keeping it a secret, I'm not just going to keep you in the dark on this. I took a gamble, and you're...well..you...so you got it."

Kiril leaned forward into his Uncle's chest and wept bitterly. Kai held him tight, whispering something as close to soothing as he could get. There wasn't much he could say to make things better. In fact, there was nothing he could say that would make things better. At the end of the day, Kiril was still going to have a sudden switch in personality, and he was still going to be miserable about it.

"H-how did I...?"

"In all honesty, we asked the man who diagnosed you that same question. No one really knows how people get a split personality...He said something about trauma in the past-"

"You guys don't have one!" He shouted, glowering at Kai. The man's eyes narrowed dangerously. His grip tightened on the boy's wrists.

"Calm down or I'm going to knock you out."

"I can't even be angry now without you thinking I'm someone else?" Kiril snapped, and Kai shook his head.

"I don't think you're someone else. To me, you're the same person the whole way through, but that doesn't mean I'm going to just let you go and get pissy whenever you feel like it. Even if you are or aren't the real you, I'm not just going to sit here and baby you. Anyone who feels like snapping at me is going to get snapped back. I have no illusions whatsoever that you're not capable of staying calm. I don't feel like dealing with obnoxious sixteen year olds when they already have pissed me off enough today."

"What'd I do to piss you off today?" He asked softly.

"Waking up to find out not only Adrien, but my dumb-ass little nephew who just got released from the hospital were here didn't make me happy for one. For two – I'm getting sick and tired of seeing you hurting that kid." The boy looked up miserably.

"What happened to him? He wouldn't tell me."

"I don't know, I wasn't here. My guess is that it had something to do with the cocoa he was going to buy for the two of you. He doesn't randomly get burns on his body for no reason whatsoever Kiril. He's not a moron, despite how much we think he is when he's following you around." Kiril bit his lip, his heart on his sleeve. He felt worse now. Kai sighed heavily, and reached out to gently touch his shoulder.

"I want to go home Uncle Kai."

"Yeah...I know you do." He sighed once more and pulled the kid to his chest. "You and Adrien should leave as soon as you can. Things around here are dangerous and I don't want you to get hurt or pulled into things that you shouldn't get pulled in to."

"Okay..." He took a deep breath and pulled back, looking around. "You...you'll find Tala right...?" He met his Uncle's gaze, pleading without speaking.

"Yeah, I will. I'll track him down and bring him back."

"You'll kill those bastards who hurt him right?" Kai nodded slowly.

"I will. Come on...let's go track down Adrien and get the two of you on a plane."

The two of them walked slowly, and Kai noticed sadly that Kiril was far slimmer then he used to be. He was never really big, but he was well toned for most of his life. Everyone at the school was. Now, Kiril lacked the defining muscles of someone who had been working out his entire life. He was weak and he was not anywhere near the normal physicality of most F-fives.

They made it to the door of the room Kai had rented, and he knocked once to let them know he was going on, and then pushed it open. Adrien was sitting on one of the beds with his shirt off. Bryan was kneeling before him and investigating the burn on his arm. It was bright red and white in some places from the skin peeling.

Kiril hissed softly when he saw the burn up close. Almost instantly Adrien shifted it so that it wasn't as obvious, and smiled slightly. He was still (understandably) shaken. It seemed Bryan and the others had managed to calm the boy down somewhat. He was freaking out solidly earlier, but now he seemed to have been brought back to a more calm state of mind.

"How's it going kiddo?" Kai asked as he placed his hand on the brunette's head. Green eyes blinked up at him.

"Fine." He replied softly.

"Good...hey Spence." The heir glanced over towards where the blonde was standing not too far away.

"Yeah?"

"Get on the phone with the airport and get a couple tickets for these kids to get home, alright?" Spencer nodded.

"Right away." He pulled his phone from his pocket and started to dial it. Within moments he was chatting away in Arabic as he was working out the plane situation.

Adrien was stealing glances towards Kiril who was looking at him meekly. Neither knew quite what to say. Kiril didn't know how to apologize for something he couldn't even remember doing, and Adrien didn't know how to bring up the fact that he just found out his best friend had a split personality and that was why half his life he had the shit beaten out of him.

"You okay?" Kiril finally tried, looking at his friend worriedly. Adrien just smiled politely.

"Yeah...sorry...are you...?"

"Yeah, I'm good, no worries." Bryan rolled his eyes at the exchange and looked towards Ivan an Kai. He started talking about something obscure, and everyone fell easily into the old tradition of burring your head in the sand when it got too hard to deal with. It was much more fun to talk about something that wasn't bothering them then something that was.

Especially when Tala's pseudo-death was still on everyone's mind.

Spencer got off the phone and glanced over towards them. He said that the airport was waiting for them and they'd get them on the plane with no problem. Kiril frowned at that, somehow that seemed very strange. Didn't they need tickets or something? And what about the weapons that took them forever to figure out how to sneak over?

"You forget that when you're not actually sneaking around doing things the hard way, we work for the International Security Agency and can pretty much get away with murder." He replied when he voiced his opinion. The teen blushed, glancing away and feeling stupid. Of course. Duh.

Kai glanced towards his nephew...both of them really. Mikhail was his foster brother and Adrien was _his _son. In all honesty, Adrien was more his nephew then Kiril was. Kiril was Tala's brother...not his son.

"You two better scoot. We have to get to the Temple soon, and I don't want to worry about you all." Adrien nodded and stood up, pulling his shirt and hoodie back on. Kiril glanced towards him weakly for a moment before taking a deep breath and running a hand through his hair. "Leave your things here, we'll take care of them." That startled both of them.

"What? But Uncle Kai-"

"I wasn't born yesterday Kiril. If you take those with you you're liable to use them." The teen sighed and nodded. There was no denying that logic. He would just have to deal with it for now. He knew that his Uncle wasn't going to do anything with them, eventually they'd be able to get their things back. Adrien seemed to understand it was for the best as well. He sighed and joined Kiril by the door. Kai felt a shudder go up his spine as the two were saying their goodbyes. Suddenly he didn't feel very good. Shaking his head he took a deep breath. "Hey kid," Kiril looked back to him. For some reason Kai was feeling the urge to say this. "You know I love you right?" He asked softly.

"Yeah...yeah of course, I love you too." The oldest teen replied, slightly confused.

"You too Adrien." Kai leveled the brunette with a look, and the boy nodded.

"I...I love you too..." He mumbled feeling slightly awkward.

By the time the two had walked out of the door and start to head outside, they were feeling rather awkward about it all. A lot of things had just happened and neither knew quite what they wanted to say or do about it all. Both were feeling rather foolish, and rather numb. After the startling discovery about Kiril's seemingly fragile mental stability, there wasn't much that they really wanted to talk about – and neither were comfortable talking about that just yet.

The day was bright and sunny and the people of Mecca were out walking around and buying their daily needs. Kiril felt foolish as he walked forth. Everyone around them looked distinctly Arabic. There wasn't one person that had similar skin or hair to him. Adrien had poor skin, but his hair at least matched even if his eyes didn't. Still, the two were sorely out of place, and that only made him feel worse.

Yet even as this thought crossed his mind, something caught his eyes. A flash of red. His heart froze in his chest. He couldn't believe what he'd seen. Ivory skin and a flash of red. Impossible! His feet were moving before he could even register it. He took a few steps forwards and then suddenly he was running.

"Tala?" He whispered in dumb awe. He couldn't believe it! He shot out faster and faster, chasing the little bit of red that had vanished up ahead.

"Kiril!? Kiril!" Adrien was hot on his tail, running to keep up. It didn't take long, and soon Kiril came to a screeching halt. He couldn't help it, he stared.

It wasn't Tala...but it was a little ivory skinned redhead with blue eyes. The child was looking up at him in confusion. He was licking an ice cream and was frowning around it as he stared at Kiril. The teenager had stopped him from continuing. He didn't know why. Obviously the child was not his brother. Still though...he couldn't help it. He wanted to know what was going on with this child.

"Marhaba!" _Hello_! The boy said, his eyes were shimmering with child-like innocence.

"Ah...Marhaba..." Kiril mumbled softly. "Ma ismok?" _What is your name? _

"Dmitri!" A woman was calling, and the boy glanced back. Kiril felt his heart beat faster and faster as he looked up and stared at the only woman he'd ever dreamed of calling a mother after Marina's death. He felt tears pool in his eyes as he stared at her.

"A-Anna?" He whispered as she came into view. The woman was wearing a veil over her head but her face was visible. She stared at him with dumb shock written all over her features. She looked completely and totally horrified to see him.

"Kiril!?"

"Mama?" The little boy glanced up at her, and Kiril froze at the words.

"Mama?" He repeated softly. "Mama?! He's your son!?"

"Kiril what are you doing here?!" She was walking closer, the horror becoming all the more obvious. Then he glanced over towards the brunette at her back. "Adrien!? Is that you?!"

"Ah...yes ma'am."

A car suddenly pulled up next to them, tires screeching the whole while. Anna instinctively grabbed onto Dmitri, but she wasn't quick enough to do anything else. Five men piled out of the van, and they were running straight at the teenagers who were staring at them in dumb shock.

"What?" Kiril whispered in awe. Someone had drawn a gun in all the mayhem, and the next thing he knew was that he was being grabbed by someone.

"No, don't!" Anna was screaming, she rushed forwards but she was grabbed and Dmitri was pulled away from her.

"Adrien-" Kiril glanced around, trying to find his friend. The brunette was rushing towards him. He punched the man that was holding onto his friend, and then was instantly on the offensive towards everyone else. The man with the gun aimed it straight at him, and Kiril screamed loudly trying to warn him.

"Stop, don't touch him!" Anna's scream did nothing, the shot fired, and the younger teenager faltered in dumb awe. His eyes moved towards Kiril, but another shot met the first one and he crashed to his knees.

"Adrien!" Kiril fought out of the man who was holding him's grasp and struggled as hard as he possible to get towards his friend who was now crumpled onto the ground.

"Put your hands on your head and get down on the ground!"

"Adrien-"

His hands were grabbed and he was thrown to the floor, arms pinned behind his back. He looked around, and stared at the still brunette on the floor. His heart pounded heavily in his chest. He felt tears rushing into his eyes. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Adrien!" Anna was trying to get to him now, but she was being pulled back. She was thrown heavily into the van, Dmitri flying into her arms. The child was screaming and crying louder and louder.

"Shut up, get him in the van!" Kiril felt someone grabbing him even as the world around him seemed to just get more and more confusing. He couldn't care less though. Even through all the chaos he was focused only one the still brunette who was bleeding to death in front of them. Chaos.

Chaos everywhere.

"Adrien!"

He yelped as his head snapped against the side of the truck. He opened his eyes and stared up straight at the young woman who couldn't take her own eyes off of him. She reached out, but her hand was shoved away. A boot hit his face and his world went dark.


	18. Trapped Again

**Windstar: **Another update, and not too bad if I do say so myself. I should be able to get the next update up by Friday, and so I'll see you all again after that. Hope you guys enjoy this one, and say goodbye to Kiril - you won't be seeing him that often any longer. :)

Disclaimer: Same.

**Chapter Seventeen: **

When he came too, he could hardly understand what was going on around him. His whole world was breaking around him and he didn't know what was happening. All he knew was that he was in a cell for some reason, and he was aching terribly from head to toe. His face especially was smarting from where he'd been kicked.

He looked around him, trying to take in every little detail. First and foremost, he was on a cot with horrendous bedding. His clothes were rumpled and he shivered as he realized that the things he'd had in his pockets – his ID, his pocket knife, etc...were gone. Someone had gone through his clothing while he'd been out.

With a distinct feeling of revulsion, he pushed himself to his feet. He was cold. Looking around he noticed the distinct lack of heaters, which normally wouldn't be a problem since they were in a desert, but the stinging chill was still nagging him.

That was another thing he noticed. His shoes were gone, and so were his socks. He hissed as his feet started to freeze on the stone floor and he made his way back to the bed. There was no point on walking around if he was just going to get colder. Besides, the cell door was already slammed closed.

He had time, he knew that almost instantly. He was going to have a lot of time in the future. So he thought about things. He thought about the things that he couldn't and shouldn't remember. He thought about his memory and how and why things happened the way that they did.

He tried to remember the well, and for some reason...he tried to remember Marcus. Everything and anything that led up to that point he tried to put together. Sure there were things that he didn't understand or put together just right, but he remembered people telling him about it.

He shuddered slightly as he remembered Anna. Everything and anything about her was dark and twisted in his mind. She was loving and kind and gentle. She was evil and responsible for killing his beloved brother. She was darkness incarnate and yet he couldn't help but be awestruck when he saw her. He wanted her. He wanted her to be his mother so badly...He closed his eyes and tried to imagine a world that wasn't like this.

He tried to imagine a world where she was still kind and gentle and loving. He tried to imagine a world where that horrible day in Italy hadn't occurred. He wanted his brother. He wanted Tala so bad that it hurt right now. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a necklace that he'd been wearing since he had left Russia.

It was a locket, a locket in the shape of a wolf's head. It wasn't even his, and he was glad that he was allowed to keep it.

His heart started to beat faster and faster in his chest and he felt tears forming in his eyes. Would people even remember him? Would people even know he was taken? Was anybody going to come for him? He shook his head. They wouldn't remember.

They forgot. They all forgot about him. About Adrien!

Poor little Adrien was dead. He watched his best friend be shot to death right there on the street! The whole world had been staring and watching it happen, and no one had done anything. They'd all watched that sweet little boy die! They all stood by and forgot about him! They walked away and they ignored his very existence.

Adrien was dead and there was nothing they could do now. Tears streaked down the teen's face. His heart had broken in his chest. The only person who was always there. The only person who had never questioned him. The only person who had been with him his entire life...had died. Adrien was dead and there was nothing that he could do about it. He was simply locked away.

He wondered if anyone was going to take care of his friend's body. He wondered if it was still out on the street. Would Kai find it? Would Bryan, Spencer, or Ian find it? Would they be sad? To see Adrien's body?

They just forgot about him...they forgot his importance, they forgot everything. They were always trying to keep them apart. They forgot about them then...they forgot about how much they needed someone.

They were just kids! They were just kids, and they needed someone to be with them. They needed someone to hold their hands sometimes. They needed to have their presence. But hey forgot that...they forgot that all the time.

Just like they'll forget now.

There was a crashing down the hall. He turned and looked up, trying to understand what was happening. People were arguing, he strained to hear them, but he couldn't make out the words. He didn't have to wait long to figure out what they were talking about.

Very soon a man walked in, his eyes glittering with some unknown quality. He threw back the cell door and glowered down at the boy. Kiril tried to back up, tried to get away, but it was useless. The man reached out and grabbed the teen by the face before smashing his head down on the bench he'd been sitting on. The boy screamed as blood ran down his face.

"Stop it! Please stop it! Leave him alone!" He looked up and stared at the woman that had followed the stranger into his cell. She was gripping at the man's arm, begging for his safety. He felt a surge of anger course through him.

How ironic that the woman that was responsible for cruelly killing his brother, was the same person that was begging for his life. He hated her for it. He couldn't stand her. Yet there was a small part of him that was thankful that someone was still crying out for him. There was someone who was still caring about him and what was going on with him.

"He's coming with us." The man hissed as he caught the teen by the hair and dragged him up. "He just needs to be roughed up a bit." Why? He certainly felt roughed up enough thank you very much. His head was ringing painfully and he didn't quite understand what the point was to all of this. He just wanted to go to sleep. He was so tired of all of this.

"Where am I?" He whispered softly.

"You're-"

"Tell him nothing you disgusting girl!" She was slapped and he felt a surge of anger towards the man now. His eyes narrowed and he kicked out.

"Kiril don't!" It was too late. No one was going to hit her if he had anything to say about it. That was his job when he had a free moment! He struck out again and again, and the man dropped his hold on him. The man hissed and tried to catch the teen, but he wouldn't let him. He ducked once more and he snapped out a quick kick.

The man caught it easily enough though and snapped it towards the ground. Kiril hissed as his head hit the floor. The man sent a kick of his own and caught the teen right into the gut. He gasped and coughed up something that was sickly in color. He groaned painfully, and was punched in the head once more.

"Stop it! If you keep it up you're going to kill him!" Anna was screaming, standing before him and the man before him.

"Out of my way, girl!"

"You can't! You'll kill him! I won't let you!" The man growled and shot his hand out towards her. He slapped her once more across the face, but she refused to move. She wouldn't let him get any closer to Kiril even if her life depended on it.

"You will never see your brat again after this if you keep it up."

"At least both of them will still be alive!" She snapped back. "I won't let you kill him!" The man growled but relented.

"Fine. I won't kill him. We still need to move." He pushed her out of the way and roughly pulled the teenager back to his feet. Kiril was wobbly, and his head was ringing. He felt like he was going to be sick, but that didn't matter. They kept on walking, and Anna followed closely. He caught sight of her slightly, and for some reason his heart was softened by the fact that she was so worried for him. It made him feel...loved.

They walked forever. He knew he had to be concussed by now. He was seeing doubles of everything and his head was spinning so hard and so fast. Memories of the past kept surfacing in his mind and he groaned as his awareness was fading in and out.

He was dragged through the halls at a quick pace, and yet despite that, and the pounding headache, he could still feel the woman's eyes on him.

He didn't like it. Yet he craved it. Even delirious with pain and concussion, his messed up mind craved her eyes watching him. He begged to be loved by her. He begged that her words in the past were lies. He wanted them all to be lies. He wanted them to be wrong! He wanted her to love him and care for him...instead of lying and leading him astray.

The man holding him up finally came to a stop long enough to punch in a password at a door and shove him through it. If he had been in any sane sense of being, he'd have memorized the password. He didn't though. He simply couldn't get his mind to work.

They were on a balcony of sorts. Below them was a huge room. There were five machine like chairs that were easily recognized as a rendition of the Black Dranzer Server set up with all the computers connected to them not to far away.

There were people below too. Five people in the BD Server headsets that disguised their features and identities, several technicians and guards, and of all people –there leaning up against a wall- was Kai.

The man pushed himself completely upright upon seeing him, his eyes wide with horror at the sight of him standing there dazed and confused. Several of the people in headsets also looked a bit shocked at the sight, and he wondered if he knew any of them as he couldn't see their faces...

"Kiril?" His Uncle was gasping as he stared up at him. He looked completely horrified, and at that moment Kiril wanted nothing more then to run to him.

"Listen up...I know there's been some talk recently of using those servers against us...just as I know that some of you don't believe that we'll follow through with the threats that we made to keep you here..." The man trailed off, pushing him forward so that he was leaning over the rail. His hair fell into his face and he blinked, trying to focus as vertigo overtook him. He was about to fall to his knees when his hands clutched onto the bar that was pressing against his chest.

Vaguely he wondered if this is what it felt like to be holding onto that fatal three...the bar that sat three inches above the ground in the Abbey where Boris forced victims to hold onto it before they were beaten into the ground.

A gun was cocked, and he held his breath, suddenly feeling like his life was going to be over very soon.

"No! Stop it!" He turned his head slightly to see what was happening next to him, but a hand shoved his head downwards so he could see only the people who were standing horrified beneath him. The woman was screaming, shouting, begging him to stop.

"Keep it up and I'll just kill that other boy!"

He felt his breath catch in his throat. What other boy? Adrien? Was Adrien here? Was he alive?! No...no...they were going to kill Dmitri...that's who they were talking about. Adrien was dead. He'd seen him die. He's seen him be murdered!

"This is a warning. I know you all know who this boy is. I also know that you don't want to see any kid die even if you don't know who he is...If any of you even think about doing anything, I'm going to blow this boy's brains out before you can blink twice. Understood?"

There was some quick agreements made, no one wanted to see this situation get worse then it already looked like it was getting.

"But, just to make sure..." The gun fired before anyone could even blink.

He screamed, his body pitching forwards farther then he already was leaning. Then to help with it, he felt a strong push from behind. He gasped, his eyes widened and he felt his arms shoot out to block whatever would come next. He knew though, subconsciously, that blocking wasn't going to help him for long.

He was falling. Falling far faster then he could even imagine. He was going to hit his head on the ground and that was going to be that. He was going to die.

Someone's arms caught him though. Caught him just before he smashed against the ground. He was bleeding everywhere, and his consciousness was fading, and he was already concussed and in a blinding amount of pain already...and yet he could have sworn that a soft voice whispered in his ear:

"Shh...it'll be alright...just stay alive and wait for me...I won't forgot about you, I promise I'll save you." He didn't know who it was, but he felt comforted by those gentle words. He just felt that he could trust him.

Kai was at their side in an instant, he hadn't had enough time to run over. His heart was pounding heavily in his chest. Anna was taking the stairs from the balcony three at a time. She was running as fast as she could to get over to them. Her knees cracked on the ground.

Three was the one who had gripped him from the sky. He had stared in horror as the boy had been thrown over the edge and it had been obvious that he needed to run towards him. He caught the child and held him to his chest. He didn't care what the others thought, right now he wanted to just take care of this child. This nameless child that had fallen from the sky.

Michaels had moved towards them now, the rest of the people were crowding now. Everyone wanted to see if he was okay. Kai had stared at the wound on the boy's side and quickly pressed his hand to it. He raised his other hand and ripped some of his shirt sleeve so it could be used as a bandage and started to press it into the wound.

"Jesus Christ what happened to him?" He hissed softly under his breath.

"They took him off the street." Anna whispered, her eyes filling with tears. Three was looking back and forth between them not quite knowing what to do.

"You know him?" He asked softly, looking at the two. Kai turned and stared at him for a moment as though he wasn't quite sure what it was that he wanted to say or do. He nodded though.

"Yes, his name's Kiril Ivanov, he's my nephew." He said slowly, looking at him. Three's mouth dropped slightly in wonder, but it was Two who was right there – reaching out to touch the unconscious teenager's face. Kai glanced towards the other in silence before placing his hand on his shoulder. Two looked up at him. "Anna, take care of him for me, I have a few words for our kind host." His voice was dark. "It's not a bad wound, he'll be fine. Just watch his head ya?"

"Yeah..." He stood up, he looked suddenly murderous, and Three watched him leave the room with a grim look on his face. Two looked like he wanted to join him, but instead his attention was solely on the child in Three's arms.

Kiril wasn't shot anywhere vital, it was more of just the shock of it. He was sleeping peacefully now, his mind was finally at rest. Anna was trying to get Three to let go of the teen so that she could look at him better, but the other was barely listening to her. He was holding the boy out of reflex, still shocked by the events of the day.

"I need to look at him, would you let him go?" She asked as she gave a gentle tug on the boy's arm. He looked up at her, a frown settling on his face.

"Sorry." He muttered as he passed the child over to her. She lay him on the floor, keeping pressure on his bullet wound. Two was keeping his head in his hands, and checking it over for injury. All the while Three stared at the child, his fists so tight blood was starting to fall from his palms.

Kai was furious though. He was marching down the hallways of the complex with his knuckles white. Anyone who got his his way soon was knocked onto the ground. He didn't give a shit at the moment. All he cared about was the fact that his nephew was very much knocked out on the ground back there. Then a dark thought came into his mind, where the hell was Adrien?

He growled hatefully when he reached the director's door. Without bothering to knock he slammed it open and glared at the man. He had two women on his lap, one running her hands up and down him while the other was starting to go down on him. The man glowered as he looked up at him.

"What do you think you're doing Hiwatari?" The man snapped as he looked at him with a hateful expression in his eyes.

"Get out." His voice was like ice. He was motioning towards the women and he was not a happy camper. In fact, when they didn't move fast enough he pulled the gun from his holster and shot a bullet straight past one of the girl's head. They screamed, and Ottilia laughed at the display. "Out." Both ran as fast as they could from the room clearly fearing the wrath of this man over their superior. He stalked forwards, his hateful eyes boring into this bastard's head.

"Since you have my undivided attention, what is it that you want _boy_?"

"Why the hell did you bring Kiril here? And where's Adrien?" He glowered, his eyes burning into the man's head. He was trying as hard as he could to not murder the bastard, and it was taking all the power he had to not burn this place down to the ground.

"You mean that boy I just shot?" He seemed to not care a bit about the fact that he had just brought up the very reason why he was so pissed off in the first place.

"Yes. That boy. My nephew. Why the fuck did you bring him here!? Where's Adrien? You said you'd kill him!"

"I never said I'd kill any Adrien." The man scoffed, rolling his eyes. "As for Kiril...as I said. It keeps you in line doesn't it?"

"He's my nephew!" He roared, moving closer. Kai looked like he was honestly going to murder the man. He was shaking with rage, and Senior Ottilia was laughing as he looked at him.

"Honestly, Anna's my granddaughter, her son is my great-grandson. You don't see me shedding any tears when I take her child from her or make sure she knows her place in life."

"You're a cold and heartless bastard that kid means more to me then you'll ever know."

"Just like your brother means more to you then I'll ever know, hmm?"

"Fuck you. Where's Adrien? What the hell have you done to him?"

"Why, is he a family member too?"

"Yes. Now where is he?"

"Haven't the foggiest. Why don't you ask your little friends?"

"Where is he?!" Kai slammed his fist on the man's desk, his eyes burning with a hatred that was unrivaled. Senior's eyes traveled down to where there was a crack forming under the enraged heir's fist. Honestly, no respect. "Where the hell is he!?" The man laughed.

"This is a whole new side to you that I've never seen before, I think I like it." The former phoenix wielder recoiled at the words. Senior just laughed. "Your little one is alive, if that's what you want to know." He reached out and took a cigar from his desk, lit it, and took a puff from it. Kai let out a sigh of relief, before his eyes narrowed once more on the man. "Although..._safe_ may not be one of the words used to describe his predicament."

"Where is he?"

"I'm not going to tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because, I'm not a fool. I tell you where the brat is – and it's not anywhere near here so don't bother looking – and you kill me and move on with you're life. You're angry enough to do it. As long as you don't know where the brat is or in what condition he's in, you're going to do what I say." Kai hissed under his breath, eyes flashing with undeniable hatred.

"How do I know he's even here?"

"Do you really want to take that risk?" Senior asked, his eyebrows raised ever so slightly as though challenging the heir. Kai held his tongue. Right now he was in that bastard's territory, and he had no grounds. He didn't know where Adrien was, he didn't know what was happening to him. All he knew was what this man was telling him.

Just as he feared...he was trapped, and their game was up. Right now he had a very difficult choice. He could either follow the plan he'd set up from the beginning, and ignore the fact that Adrien and Kiril were right under their noses being potentially tortured...or he could forsake everything and save those two boys at the risk of the world being destroyed in the process. His heart was literally breaking in his chest as his gun wavered in his hand.

Senior laughed and moved around his desk. He clapped a hand onto Kai's shoulder and smiled at him.

"You played a good hand...mine was better. Shall I show you to your new room?" Kai bit his lip, tried to focus himself. Here was his opportunity. He could kill this man. Kill him and end this. He shook his head though. It was what got him into this mess in the first place. He had been trigger happy as a child and had slighted this family. They were gunning for him and his. They wanted him right where they had him. This wasn't anything against Kiril or Adrien, it was completely against him. They wanted him under their toe...and that's right where he'd been placed. "Come on son, I'm not that bad. One day you might even grow to like me!" Senior laughed as he started to maneuver the man towards the door. Kai offered little resistance. What was the point? Right now, his hand's were tied. There was nothing he could do.

"I'm not your son." He mumbled quietly. The Italian glanced towards him.

"I'm going to have so much fun breaking you of that foolish pride of yours." He leaned closer. "Just like I broke your pitiful brother. You should have heard him scream...I wonder if that little boy down there can scream as loud as him." Kai clenched his fists and grit his teeth. He was trapped, and it was a feeling that he hated. Two guards appeared on either side of him and he squeezed his eyes shut when they gripped his arms and started to walk him away.

His gun was stripped from his side, his other weapons were disposed of. Closing his eyes he could almost pretend that this day had never happened and that everything was alright. Almost. In his head he kept replaying anything, he kept trying to find the loophole and where things could have been changed so that this hadn't happened.

He was dragged through the halls and thrown into a clay room that had only one bed on it. There were already signs of someone living there though, and he could only imagine it was one of the hackers. Apparently his performance hadn't been all that believable. Not that it mattered. He knew that they wouldn't keep him here for long. He was too well known.

His secretary would throw a fit, for one, if he wasn't back in time for his next meeting at HE. The police would be looking for him, and the ISA would know where he was and this whole operation would be blown out into the open far too soon for Senior to like it.

No, he wasn't going to become a permanent resident.

He _was _going to become a dog though. A dog to this man who had his fingers around a very tight leash. Black Dranzer would be in this bastard's control in no time at all. All it would take was the order and suddenly the servers would be working ten times their current capacity and there would be nothing that could stop him.

Everything was going to hell in a hand basket, and there was nothing that Kai could do. There were footsteps down the hall, and he looked up from where he'd been musing. He blinked in stunned awe as he saw the last person he expected to see in this place. An old comrade who had all but vanished over the past few years. He could hardly believe it.

"Christopher?" He murmured in shock. The former head of the BBASS could only smile at him, and Kai felt the breath leave his lungs for the second time in the same day. He could hardly believe it.

The hits just kept coming.

Down in the computer room, Kiril had been taken care of by some medics, and the group of hackers were staring at each other meekly, not knowing quite what to do. Two kept glancing towards Three who was keeping his gaze pointed to the floor, and Anna who was pacing nervously this way and that. She was looking unbelievably pale and Michaels was trying to get her to sit down and take a drink of water, but she couldn't. Her mind was obviously focused on what had just happened, and there was nothing in her that wanted to sit down right now.

Finally at long last she turned to the six people that were still in the room. The five hackers and Michaels met her gaze, or at least she assumed that the hackers met her gaze since she couldn't actually see their eyes.

"Let's just get the big purple elephant out of the room now." She said at long last. "That boy, is my adopted son. He's one of our benefactor's nephews, and he's also one of the fabled F-Fives of Russia." She took a deep breath, and then sighed heavily. "I'm here because my biological son is being held hostage over me. Why are all of you here?"

There was a silence that filled the room and she sighed, shaking her head. Michaels took a cup of coffee off the desk and started to sip at it as he waited. Everyone was trying to figure out what they should or shouldn't say, and he wanted to see if he could find Tala in the group.

Three let out a long sigh and suddenly started to clap. Everyone stared at him in stunned silence, not quite sure what was going on. Three just kept clapping, as though this was all a big performance. His voice when he did speak was low and seething, and the others flinched at the darkness in his tone.

"You are nothing but a scam and a hoax then hmm?" Her mouth dropped.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm asking you if you really are anything but a smoke screen? I mean, you're playing with our heads here. So who else is behind this bull shit? I want to know just who I can blame for all this crap. Here I was under the impression that you were their child."

"I am, Senior Ottilia is my grandfather."

"So he's holding his great-grandsons hostage because he isn't pleased with your performance or what? I want to know if I got kidnapped because of you! Why the hell am I here?!"

"You're here to hack for them-"

"Oh that's great. You want us to hack into what, government agencies? And to make us comply they're going to threaten to kill kids?! Is that what this is about? We get to either hack into government organizations or watch little kids be murdered? How old's your brat again? Six?"

"Yes..."

"What about that other guy...Kay?"

"Kai-"

"Kai that's right. Kai – His nephew is that kid right? Isn't that what you said?"

"Yes, but-"

"So your whole family's fucking us over huh?"

"Wait a second-" Michaels tried to cut in, but he was ignored.

"What the hell is going on here? What's the point?" Three hissed as he stalked forwards. She flinched and glanced back at Michaels. She still didn't know the point herself...

"The sport beyblading." Three looked up in confusion as Michaels stepped in, gently moving Anna to the side so she wasn't in the precarious line of fire that Three had forced her into.

"What of it?"

"There's something going on with bitbeasts and beyblading, they're looking for someone right now." He said softly. "A boy, someone from the Abbey."

"What Abbey?"

"In Russia there's an Abbey that used to exist. There were hundreds of children that were all related to a project. Their goal was to take over the world and instill the boy that was just shot as their prince."

"So her family runs this Abbey?" Three asked pointing at Anna who was shaking her head.

"No, Boris Balkov did. I don't even know how they found out about the Abbey!" She cried, holding her hands up in the air.

"There are, or at least there were, five hundred phenomenal beybladers that went to that Abbey. From what I've heard, one of those beybladers possesses an extremely rare trait that enables them to use one bitbeast in particular."

"Black Dranzer?" Two asked as he moved closer, his mask tilted to the side slightly as though he were thinking deeply.

"You've heard of it?" Michaels seemed genuinely surprised, and Two just shrugged. "They've known for some time that Kai has Black Dranzer, that was never a secret. Now with Kiril here it's most likely that Kai will be forced to give them it...but no, that's not to whom I'm referring." Michaels sighed and shook his head. "It's a different bitbeast, mastered by a different boy...That beyblader's dead though. He died before the Abbey was set free."

"Who was it?" Two asked suddenly, and Anna turned and stared at him, mouth dropping slightly. Tala! Of course he'd be interested in knowing who the beyblader was. He'd know him! That's how he knew about Black Dranzer!

"Mikhail Ivanov." A stunned silence filled the room. Two's arms dropped to his sides from their crossed position. His mouth fell open.

_What the fuck?_


	19. Attack on Rue Plumet

**Windstar: **Apologies for being a bit late in this upload, there was one hell of a snow storm on friday and the magic faeries of New York somehow convinced our school to cancel for the third time in four years. (Miracles do happen). Then there was an all weekend birthday affair and yesterday I couldn't get on a computer. So here it is!

This chapter is a bit of a tear jerker, so you might want to grab your box of tissues. While certainly not the saddest and most angst ridden chapter in this story, it's sad because of a different point of view. I hope you all enjoy it, and thanks again to my fabulous reviewers.

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter.

**Chapter Eighteen:**

_Att: Bryan Kutznetsov_

_Do not return to the Temple. Danger. Kai captured. School under siege. Evacuate children immediately! Kiril taken hostage. **FIND ADRIEN – KEEP HIM SAFE**. _

Having never been on the receiving end of such a catastrophic letter, Bryan Kutznetsov didn't' quite know what he was supposed to do. For a long while he just stared at it. He could hardly believe what he was reading, and as Bryan stared at it, his stomach turned into knots. He knew already that there was no chance in hell that things were going to be good. He made the call to the school as soon as he could, and tried to ignore the fact that no one answered. He tried to convince himself that everything was going to be okay. He tried to tell himself that nothing bad was going to happen to all those kids that they left completely and totally unprotected.

He knew already what his informant may not have known. If Kiril was taken hostage...then Adrien was already dead or with them. It was too late to find Adrien. He called the airport just to make sure, but he wasn't all that surprised to find out that Adrien had never showed up.

He closed his eyes tightly and clasped his palms. He shook violently as he tried to steady his breath. He couldn't keep himself still. He was so terrified that there was nothing that he could do. All he wanted was to save the school that was as much of a home to him as anyone could imagine. That place...that home...that school was his life now. The people in there were his charges. He loved each and every one of them. He couldn't have possibly have imagined the past ten years or so without them in it. Each one had left an imprint on his heart.

He moved without thinking, his body walking on its own accord. Somehow or other he ended up beneath the symbol of a cross. Be it imagined or otherwise, he wouldn't know. He was, after all, in a heavily Muslim area. Yet as Jesus hung there, nailed to the cross, he prayed.

"Dear God in heaven." He prayed softly, staring at the imaginary or real Christ who stared so serenely back. "Please...please let them be alright. Please...don't hurt those children..."

Still, even in his heart, he couldn't help but know that damage was going to be done before things got better. He just didn't know how much damage.

True to the missive, he stayed far away from the Temple of Fates. So far away, one could say he had put several countries between them. The school was on the news now, and he wanted to see for himself exactly what the damages were. Spencer and Ian were sitting next to him the whole while, staring out the windows with dark looks on their faces.

The very fact that this was all happening in this way...there was nothing but misery about this situation. As soon as they landed in Russia, they were assaulted by news crews who had found out their location somehow and had mobbed them in an attempt to discover their comments on what had happened to the school. Doing that was a little difficult though...since they had no idea at all what had happened at all. They'd left. They'd left those kids completely unprotected. Anything that went wrong...that was all their fault.

Bryan arrived at the school first, or at least...what was left of it. The Temple of Fate's raid on the F-Five campus was a complete success. There was little wonder why they had been accosted at the airport. When Bryan saw the damage, he almost felt like he was going to collapse right then and there. He never would have imagined such a sight, and it made him feel weak inside. So very weak. He hadn't even been able to save the children from this. He had been in a completely different country and all this damage had occurred...

Russia was infuriated. To think that an international terrorist group had attempted to initiate a massacre on school children made everyone queasy. They were calling out for blood. The moment the Officers had touched down they had been summoned to discuss their information with the head of national security. Spencer and Ian had said they'd take care of it while Bryan surveyed the damage for his own eyes.

So there he was, standing there watching the Temple's attempt...and attempt was the key word despite the gruesome damages to his home. Of the near five hundred people living on the campus, only twenty four had apparently been declared MIA.

Still, that was twenty four too many. Twenty-four boys and men who had simply been living out their lives peacefully with no thoughts of the dangers that lay ahead. They had left the world of hatred and suffering. They had left the world of torture and confusion. Those twenty-four males had been dreaming of a peaceful existence now and was Bryan and the other Officers who had decided to wage this war. It was Bryan and the other Officers who had then, inadvertently, forced those twenty-four boys back into the life they had struggled to be free from.

Twenty-four children had been taken from their home and they had vanished off the face of the earth. Or rather, they had vanished from all of Russia. That thought alone was enough to make the great country into one extraordinary pissed off super power. They did not like it when people came into their country and kidnapped their citizens. They didn't like it at all.

In fact, it was almost a declaration of war!

The key problem being, Saudi Arabia didn't even know that it was their fault yet. This mess was just going to get worse before it got better, and now more then ever – they were running out of time to make things right.

Bryan stared at the burned down dormitories and the ransacked auditorium in stunned silence. The Corps had gotten the memo that all was not well, and had taken care of their younger _brothers _admirably. They truly had done a very good job.

Still...the school was destroyed. Their safe haven was ruined. Granted, the students weren't little kids anymore, but that was hardly the point! Their home was looking like Ground Zero. There was nothing except rubble where their magical sanctuary had once been standing proudly. They were being mocked, and Bryan hated the feeling.

He walked forwards, towards the youngest of the school's children's dorm. It was the dorm that he spent a lot of his time in. For a while, his room was in it. He had been responsible for caring for those little boys as they grew up.

Now their friendly home that had been specifically decorated for their age group – was nothing. It was gone. He felt his heart squeeze in his chest. This wasn't right. None of this was. How dare they? How dare they!?

"Bryan?" He spun about quickly, gun in his hands and pointing at the head of the offender. He dropped it almost instantly. It was one of the newly inducted corps members. After they realized that they'd be leaving soon, Bryan had hired a few more of the F-Fives to help look after things. This was one of them. He could hardly believe his eyes. The last he'd heard, they'd all been en route to safe houses. What on earth was he doing here now?

"Bastion?" He asked slowly, staring at the younger man in a slight state of shock.

"I...I heard you were coming back. I needed to make a report sir." He said slowly, trying to keep his eyes away from the building that was in tatters before him. Bryan nodded stiffly.

"Report on what?" He couldn't remember sending him out on a mission, and that in of itself made him feel sick to his stomach. How could he forget a mission?

"I was the one who received the notification that there was to be a raid on the school, sir." Bastion replied softly. He looked rather pale, even sick. He was exhausted and feeling worse for wear.

The safety program that Tala had set up years before had been implemented in a rather crude way. All of the children in the Abbey would be safe and sound in the end...but they would not be together. They would be spread out across the world and very difficult for anyone to find. It was to keep them all safe...but at the same time: it meant that they would all be apart for the first time in their lives. For the first time they wouldn't be in their tight knit family.

Clearly that thought alone had started to drain on Bastion who had probably been forced to act as an Officer and announce the plan to the younger kids in his care. They wouldn't have like it at all...they would have protested...Bryan could see it now. It would have been ugly.

Bryan looked down and caught sight of a small beyblade that was just a little bit away. He lowered himself to the ground and slowly picked it up. He couldn't recognize who it belonged too, but he was suddenly assailed with the image of the youngest of all the Abbey boys. Little Shishi playing with his beyblade with his older _brothers_. Little Shishi laughing in the rec-room.

Little Shishi running for his life as men in black were firing their guns at him, trying to kill him. Little Shishi being shot and killed and laying dead on the grass with blood pouring from his eyes as he stared up brokenly through the night.

"I...I'm so sorry sir." The crack in the young man's voice snapped Byran out of his nightmarish musing, and he looked up sharply.

"You did the best you could. Twenty-four isn't that bad considering what happened..." Bryan murmured. He was struggling against the massive pain in his heart. Twenty-four was really completely inexcusable. He should have been there. Someone should have been there to protect those children who were left behind. When those planes took off, someone should have stayed behind to save them...that someone should have been the Officers who were all away.

How stupid could they get?! They never all should have left at the same time! That was idiocy! That was complete stupidity! They should have just left Ian! They should have left him behind and have him take out the rest. He was a God-damn sharpshooter. He could have done something!

Not only that...but Kai, Kiril, and Adrien were all missing in action as well. Kai hadn't checked in since he'd left them a message saying he saw Kiril and lost his mind in a mad quest for revenge, and Adrien had literally vanished. No one knew where he was. Right now, things looked so bad for them that it was undefinable how horrible things looked.

"Where is everyone now?" Bryan whispered, needing to keep talking. He couldn't dwell on things or else he'd fall apart. He needed to keep himself focused. This was a mission. He needed to be focused!

"We split up. Langly took a group to point A, Charles to point B, Rico and Danny to point C, and Lucas to point D." Bryan nodded. He looked around sullenly. That was probably the only good news. That all of them managed to make it to safety...still...their home was gone and that just made him sulk. There really wasn't anything good at all about what had happened over the past twenty four hours.

His eyes caught sight of a baby bottle, and he stared at it for a fraction of a second before suddenly feeling very cold. He took a deep breath, and then turned and looked at Bastion slowly yet surely. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the answer of this question.

"Bastion...where's Adeline and the twins?" The man sighed for a second before running a hand through his hair.

"They're fine. Langly took them to point A." Finally! Some good news! Bryan released the breath he'd been holding and stood up. At least they were alright. If there was one thing that he wouldn't let anything happen too, it was Adeline and those kids. Knowing that they were safe lifted his heart and made him feel rejuvenated. "Sir?"

"What happened here Bastion?" He asked at long last, leveling his disciple with a stern look. "I want a full report." The man nodded and snapped to an attention with a salute. Back to business. No time to grieve.

"Yes sir!"

_It was dark out when the call came in. The younger boys had been put to bed and the older boys were laughing and joking in their own dorm rooms. Some of them were causing a ruckus but all in all it was a pretty normal night. Nobody was complaining at least. The only thing that seemed a little odd was the pop up that was written in the format of one of Tala's commands._

_At first, Bastion simply stared at it, not understanding what it was saying. He felt a little angry too. How dare someone write a missive in that format?! That was Tala's code, and Tala was dead! He shut it down and continued working._

_He was running security over the night, and he was busy monitoring the cameras that the school had all over the campus. So far there was nothing strange, and once again it looked like it would be a peaceful night. The only breach in security had been when one of the younger boys had left his dorm to go to the older dorm because he'd had a nightmare and was scared._

_The command appeared once more on his screen though. This time it was specifically designed to catch his attention, and catch it it did. It used Tala's security number and when it looked like he still didn't believe the warning, all of the screens in the room turned off and were replaced with a man in a mask's face staring at him intently. Or at least, he felt like he was being stared at – the mask had no eyes and it was more of a helmet that was hiding his identity from the world._

_"Evacuate the school this instant Bastion." The voice commanded. The man stared at the hidden face in dumb shock._

_"Wha? Who are you?!"_

_"You're Commander. The Temple of Fates is launching an attack on the school, you need to evacuate the school this instant before they even get there. Do it NOW."_

_Recognizing the intense worry in the man's voice, Bastion snapped to his feet and fled the room without a second guess. He only stopped to activate the silent alarm system, and then he rushed out. Throwing the door open across the hall he told everyone that they needed to evacuate the campus, and without even asking what had happened the trained soldiers nodded and started to go this way and that to begin procedures._

_They had been watching a movie and having a good time before then...now though...now they were in mission mode. Now they had the lives of their little _brothers _to worry about. It was time to go, no time to second guess anything. No time to stop and chat. Only time to run._

_There were hundreds of boys sleeping in their beds right now without any idea that they were about to face battle for the first time. When Bastion entered the first dorm, that reality hit him the quickest. He could hardly believe that someone was launching an attack on their school...what the hell had they done to deserve that?!_

_He opened the first door he came across, and flicked the light on – instantly waking up the two boys that were sleeping soundly in their beds. They looked up at him as he entered, confusion visible on their faces. He ignored that though and just started to pull their jackets from the closet and toss them to them._

_"Time to go, we're need to leave now. Get dressed and head down to the hanger. I'll meet you there in fifteen minutes." The two stared at him for a moment. They didn't look like the believed him. "Do you want a personal invitation!? Get down there now! We don't have much time!"_

_The two young teenagers nodded and quickly started to throw on their shoes and head for the door. They didn't bother to change out of their Pjs, they knew that time was of the essence. On their way they started waking up other boys that they passed, and Bastion thanked them for it. It gave him time to rush to the end of the hall and wake up a sleeping princess._

_He knocked anxiously on Kai's door, his heart pounding in his head. He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck go on end, and when he glanced outside the nearest window, he saw movement by the front gate. His heart now leaped out of his chest and clear into his throat. A voice echoed through the hall, and all the doors to all the rooms snapped open._

_"Security Breached, Evacuation Stage One. All Engines On." Tala's voice was calm cool and collected. Not to mention much younger. It was the program that he had set in place years before. Now that the school itself was aware of the danger, it was helping the older boys start to wake up the younger ones. The instant the doors were slammed open, the sleeping children had snapped awake and had heard his voice. Terror was starting to hit them._

_Heads stuck out in the hall, and whenever they hesitated, Bastion ordered them to hurry. He looked into Kai's room and his eyes met with Adeline's as she was pulling on a robe. She looked at him with wide eyes, and he could tell that she was very nervous. It was good...she needed to be nervous. This was really happening, and they needed to go go go go go!_

_"Bastion? What's wrong? What's happening?" She asked as she looked anxiously towards the cribs where the babies were sleeping._

_"We're under attack ma'am. We need to evacuate now." He told her briefly. Her face paled considerably, she could hardly believe what he was saying. He didn't have time for her to understand though – let alone believe him. They needed to get this show on the road. "I received a memo, Kai and Kiril are both caught, Adrien's MIA, and we need to leave now because we're under fire from an unknown enemy." He should have believed it when he first saw it – instead of waiting for Tala or whoever that man was, to yell at him. Maybe then they'd have more time. For a moment, he thought she was going to cry, but she didn't._

_Instead, she straightened her back, and turned around back into the room. Perfect poise and grace as always, she was a vision of keeping calm under difficult situations. When she returned, Niko and Jeanie were in her arms and she was holding them close. He could tell that she was worried, but there was no hiding that. Right now, everyone was worried._

_He nodded to her, trying to convey that he was going to be with her the whole time and that hopefully there was nothing to worry too much about – she nodded back, and snuggled the twins closer. She had just thrown on a pair of sneakers and took an extra blanket to keep the children warm. She knew full well she didn't have time to get them dressed, and crying babies weren't going to help this situation any._

_"Right this way ma'am." He motioned for her to follow him, and quickly they hurried down the hall. A food number of kids had started to run with them, frightened and unsure, they ran as fast as they could. They followed them like beacons in the dark, needing them now more then ever. Adeline's calm exterior had helped things greatly. Seeing their matron acting with such grace hushed many of them into silence._

_That is...until the fire started. A window smashed open and a grenade went off just down the hall. The whole building rocked and they couldn't help but scream as they thought that everything was going to come down on them. The floor had caught fire with the explosion and now with the added burst of oxygen to it – it was roaring brightly and blocking off their return path._

_It didn't matter all too much because they weren't going back there, but it was catching up to them, and they needed to run faster and father. The younger boys were terrified. They were screaming as loud as they could as they ran this way and that. They were panicking and couldn't keep themselves under control._

_Bastion tried to yell to get their attention, but nothing happened according to plan. In fact, everything just started to get worse. You couldn't depict one scream from another. All you heard was chaos. They were pushing and shoving and trying to hurry down the stairs. The doors of the bottom floor were kicked open though and men with guns had poured in – aiming their weapons at the children who were attempting to escape the blaze._

_The boys came to a screeching halt and one was smart enough to fire off their beyblade and make a rock wall appear between them and the assailants. It bought them some time at least. Thinking smart, another used their bitbeast to start to calm the fire and blow the smoke away from them. The Corps members weren't going to let this get too out of control._

_"Everyone listen!" Adeline had used this time to get everyone to glance over towards her, and command their undivided attention. Suddenly all eyes had fallen on her. "If you're thirteen and younger, come towards the front. If you're fourteen to seventeen, I want you at the back. If you're older then that, I want you on the sides and in the far back. Organize yourselves swiftly. Older boys – you'll be directing the younger ones so you had best stop screaming and start acting like the F-Fives I know you are!" The boys stared at her for a fraction of a second before nodding quickly and positioning themselves accordingly. Then they followed the blonde _mother-hen_ down the halls, their eyes pinned on her long blonde hair and the blanketed babies in her arms._

_She quickly hit a notch in the wall as Bastion held onto Niko for her. Then she pulled on it and it sprang to the side – revealing a cobwebbed tunnel that would lead to the underground hanger that was waiting for them._

_The tunnel was long and wide, and everyone piled into it. They'd all been there before at least once years ago. Still, they hadn't used it for any real purpose because there were easier ways to get to the hanger. They only used these for emergencies...and this qualified as an emergency._

_They didn't dare stop on the way, and Bastion hoped that the other dorms were rushing to the hanger from their own routes and that something hadn't happened to them as well. They were the dorm closest to the main gate so he hoped that the others still had time._

_When they finally arrived, everyone ran towards the five air planes that were waiting for them. Not too far away, they could see that the other dorms did in fact get warned in time. The other entrances were being flooded with children rushing to get onto planes as well. Adeline let out a sigh of relief. Everyone was making it to safety._

_A video screen appeared above them all, and Tala's face flashed on it. He was years younger, and suddenly alive again._

_"Perimeter has been breached. Contact to Air Traffic Control has been made." He announced evenly. Adeline allowed herself to stare at her brother in law's face for just a few moments before rushing onto the plane. Niko was placed back in her arms, and she sat down in a chair that was waiting for her, and held her babies close. A startled thought of - are they to young to fly? - crossed her mind, but she pushed it out swiftly. Either way they were going to die.  
_

_"Everyone buckle up and hold on! Lift off is at full capacity!" Riche shouted as he moved kids through the asile._

_"Perimeter breach level four. Opening hatches. Prepare for lift off." Tala's calm voice echoed through the room, and suddenly the room started to shake._

_"No! We need more time!" Someone screamed as they looked at the nearly full plane and knowing that not everyone was there yet. There were still people outside. They couldn't take off yet. They just couldn't!_

_Another loud bang echoed everywhere, and Bastion felt his heart sink. He could easily imagine the stone wall that had been keeping their assailants at bay- completely blown to bits. They were being hunted down now, and there wasn't any more time. He frantically looked outside. Most everyone was full, and one plane took off quickly. They couldn't hold anymore and they were out of there!_

_He watched out the window in fear, watching each entrance as more and more kids started to pile out of them. Each one of them were panicked and rushing as fast as they could, but it was inevitable. They couldn't possible have made it there any faster. They hadn't been able too! Still, no matter how fast they ran, all Bastion could think of was how those explosions sounded like they were getting closer and closer._

_A second plane went off. It snapped into the air and they were gone in the blink of an eye. Kai didn't by them cheap planes. These were the best money could buy, and they needed it right now. He felt the ground shake once more. Most of the kids were loaded on. They only had a few stragglers._

_Everyone was starting to get more and more terrified the longer they waited. It was almost as thought they could feel the enemy's hands around their throats, squeezing them to death already. They were starting to get worked up. So far they didn't have any idea what this all was about._

_Even Bastion barely understood it. All he knew was he had an order to evacuate. Yet as to who these people were or what on earth was going on...he could only guess. It had to do something with the officer's mission. Still though, they didn't have much more time. Only a few more...just a few more!_

_The third plane shot into the air, and he held his breath. It was only them and one other and they would be good to go. One very close explosion slammed and they actually heard the world around them start to groan as it protested the constant batterings._

_Niko and Jeanie burst into tears, not liking the atmosphere one bit. Adeline rocked them, trying to calm them down, but with them everyone else started to freak out. The children were screaming everywhere. They were yelling this way and that, and looking out the window in terror. No one could understand what was happening, and the more things felt like they were falling apart, the more confused everyone got._

_Bastion started to count heads, trying to convince himself that they were all there when he knew they weren't. One, two, three, four....he heard the unmistakable sound of a gun firing, and the screams fell silent as if they had been the ones that had been shot. He looked out the window and stared in horror as one of the tunnels started to spit out men in black._

_He felt his very body burn with rage as he watched the last thirty or so kids run as fast as they could towards them. They weren't going to make it. He watched the fourth plane take off. They didn't have much time left now. Still...only thirty or so left...only thirty more!_

_They couldn't run in straight lines though, they were ducking and hiding and running in zig zags- trying desperately not to get shot. One boy ran as fast as they could across the hanger and jumped into the door just as a bullet whizzed passed his ear. Bastion caught him and everyone asked if he was okay, but he was so shaken he could barely say a word and could only manage to sit down and stare weakly up at everyone who tried to get his attention._

_Another boy made a mad dash and just managed to jump in. They were given the go ahead. They could take off at any time. They only needed a few more...just a few more. They were almost full. Almost everyone was going to make it! Just a few more seconds...!_

_"Breach-level five, Take off now! Security System engaged!" For a heart stopping moment, everyone stared. Walls crashed down behind the plane, and sliced a fissure so they were completely separated from their attackers. Only...they were completely separated from the twenty-four boys that were trapped on the other side as well. The few people who were on the good side of the wall rushed into the plane, but it wouldn't make much of a difference to everyone else._

_Mission Failed. They had lost some of their own._

_Twenty four boys that would vanish into thin air were left behind._

_Bastion stared out the window as the doors were locked, and the cabin was pressurized. He felt his heart breaking in his chest. Twenty-four brothers were gone tonight. Twenty four!_

_It didn't matter that the school's population far exceeded that. Twenty four were still lost. Twenty four were gone!_

_Their engines roared as they moved forwards, faster and fast and faster until finally they careened into the air and started to shoot upwards. They barely noticed it though. No one really was paying attention to the fact they'd taken off. Instead, their attention was all on the ground. The dark ground that was now ablaze with a burning flame._

_They couldn't do anything but stare in horror at the burning buildings. Mikhail Hall was being raided, someone had shot his name to bits, and if one looked closely – they could see their friends being taken away._

_The dorms were on fire. The pavilion was blown up. The math and science building was now simply rubble. In a few short hours their home had been completely destroyed. There was nothing left except this gaping hole of nothing. There was nothing there now...nothing except pillagers and kidnappers who were having the time of their lives._

_Everyone was being split up now. They would all be going to ground. No one knew quite what to say when they heard that. They just nodded. Compared to their hellish night, that didn't seem so bad. Still...the thought hadn't hit them yet that they might never see their brothers again. The thought hadn't made it to them yet that this might have been the last time they'd ever see their homeland again. They were all disappearing now...fading into the dark._

_Adeline did her best to comfort the younger boys, but she too was just as rattled as everyone else._

_They had lost everything. Their clothes, books, toys...everything was ruined. Their safe haven was ransacked. For the first time...they were homeless. Children were crying painfully, and looking and feeling pitiful. There was nothing left now._

_When they were in the Abbey, at least they had a place to call home. When the Abbey had been destroyed, Tala had found their parents or offered them the school. Their lovely school that was full of everything they had ever been deprived of. Kai had paid for them all to have good clothes and the ability to have fun. He never penny pushed with it came to them. He funded everything for them._

_He even bought the older kids cars when they got their licenses. It was a gift and a curse that made them laugh. They could only have them if they agreed to drive the other boys around, but considering it was something that they could call their own – they never minded. They always helped out._

_They were a family, and that was their home. Their favorite home that was always waiting for them no matter where they went to or what they did. They learned what love meant, they learned what cherish meant. They learned what family meant. Yet no matter what...it was their place of being._

_Nothing could be done now though. The school was gone. Slowly words spread through the plane. People started to talk. They wanted to know what had happened and why. They wanted to figure out just who had attacked them. They wanted to know why their home had to be destroyed._

_"I heard Kai was taken hostage..." One whispered softly._

_"Kai?! How'd they do that?!"_

_"I don't know...maybe someone betrayed them?"_

_"Who would though? It was an S class mission right? Only the Officers go on those..."_

_"Maybe it was someone else...the BBASS?"_

_"That's stupid...why would they do it? Isn't Tyson their leader?"_

_"Yeah...but...I don't know..."_

_Then the whispered continued. Talking about Kiril being a POW and Adrien being MIA._

_"Kiril's a POW? With who?"_

_"He went after the Officers..."_

_"No wonder he's POW, he was stupid enough to try an S class mission?"_

_"Yeah, but even Adrien wouldn't let that happen."_

_"He's MIA jackass, he didn't make it out too good either."_

_"How'd he get MIA though? Wouldn't Kiril be MIA too? Someone would know what happened to him if Kiril was there. They're glued to the hips!'_

_"Yeah...it doesn't make any sense..."_

_"What...what does MIA mean?" One of the younger boys asked softly as he looked over to where the older ones were whispering._

_"It means he's probably dead. Missing in action. Like those behind the wall there...MIA...not confirmed to be dead or alive." The oldest replied, his eyes not unkind._

_Tears filled the plane. Everyone was coming down from adrenaline rushes. They were miserable and weary, and nothing felt good anymore. If Kai was a POW...what about the other officers? Were they going to disappear into the abyss as well? Would they never see them again?_

_"I want Tala!" Someone whispered, and the ones nearby nodded._

_"I miss him! He'd know what to do!"_

_Then they remembered the fires and their home. Their little graveyard- ransacked as well. Hot anger at the thought of their graveyard being desecrated sent them all into flaming hot feelings of hatred. They didn't understand, and they just wanted this to be over._

_"Who were they!?" Someone shouted out at long last. He looked straight at Bastion who was standing awkwardly, watching them all._

_"I don't know...I got the warning and that was that." He replied, hurt. He clenched his eyes closed. He was feeling so sick. He too didn't understand. He didn't know what was going on. He just wanted someone to explain it all._

_"Where are the other F-Officers?!"_

_"Mecca, as far as I know." He replied. "Kiril and Adrien left to meet up with them...and I guess something went wrong." Something very wrong. They had been right earlier. If Kiril was a prisoner of war, then Adrien should have been as well. It didn't make sense for him to be missing in action...they should know if he was alive or dead._

_Suddenly there was a video link, and Spencer's face appeared on the screen above their chairs. The worry was obvious on his face. He looked so concerned for each and every one of them._

_"Are you alright?" He asked quickly, his voice cracking as he tried to speak._

_"Spence-" Bastion never had a chance._

_"Officer!" Dozens of boys shouted, trying to get picked up on the transmitter. He looked exhausted, his blonde hair dangling weakly on his head. He was in his ISA uniform and he looked more than a little worse for wear._

_"Are you alright?" He asked calmly, repeating himself and letting his voice sink a few levels. He understood that they were upset, but right now he needed to have them calm so he could have an answer._

_Adeline stood up gracefully and moved to the transmitter. She placed the children in Bastion's arms as she replied on it, her voice calm and calculating._

_"Shaken up, but unharmed. We lost a few when Breach-five occurred." She answered as she talked into the device. Her voice was steady even though she looked and felt weak and tired. She felt so stretched out and strained that there was little more that she could manage to say or do. She just had enough in her to move on with this as it was. "What's going on Spencer? Who're after us?"_

_"The Temple of Fates. They think that one of you can control a bitbeast that they have. Anyone who has had any contact with Mikhail are their targets. I can't go into much more detail, but from now until further notice- none of you are to tell anyone that you're F-Fives" He sighed heavily, and silence echoed in his wake. No one knew how to respond._

_"We-we're not F-Fives anymore?" A fifteen year old asked dumbly. His eyes were wide open. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. His whole life practically...and now....what?!_

_"Not right now. When you get to your points, someone will direct you from there." He looked over his shoulder and said something to someone on the other side of the room. "We're en route to Russia right now, we've been summoned to talk with the military about what happened."_

_"The military?" Adeline whispered in slight awe._

_"Yeah. I need to go now, I don't want this to be tracked. You all be safe...don't give anyone a hard time. When this is sorted out, we'll get you home as soon as possible."_

_"What home?" Someone muttered, but Spencer didn't hear it, and within seconds his face was gone._

_There was silence for the rest of the trip._

"I flew back as soon as we landed so I could give my report." Bastion concluded as he looked at Bryan's face worriedly. The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I wish we had known that this had happened. Spence wouldn't have said something like that if he'd known.

"We understand sir...we're not blaming you for any of this."

"It doesn't matter. We still should have been there." Bryan told him, the guilt he was feeling starting to come out.

"The only thing that would have changed was that on top of those twenty four we would have lost our leaders too. None of you would have gone down without a fight, and you would have died to save them. At least now we can plan a rescue mission..."

"Yeah...one that's not going to happen for a while." Bastion's mouth dropped.

"Sir?"

"The situation as it stands now Bastion is pretty fucked up." Bryan pressed his temples, trying to get the headache that was forming to go away. "Adrien is the biological heir to the bitbeast that they're trying to find a blader for." He told him softly. Bastion recoiled.

"Excuse me?"

"Mikhail was his father. For some reason they know for a fact that Mikhail would have been that bitbeast's master. As his blood child, Adrien should also be able to use that bitbeast. The only thing we have going for us is that no one has any clue where the kid is. When we went through the Temple we didn't see him, and there haven't been any reports on his presence being there. The only one we know for sure got caught is Kiril."

"But where Kiril is...Adrien is sure to follow."

"That's the bit that's not in our favor. I trust the kid won't do anything stupid, but in all likelihood, he'll be in their hands before he's in ours."

"Sir...what's so special about this bitbeast?" The only thing Bastion could think of was that it was similar to Black Dranzer...but they already had a server, so what would they need this new bitbeast for? Bryan himself just shrugged.

"Haven't the foggiest. I knew this server bull shit was going to bite us in the ass though. Anna shut it down all those years ago for a reason. Still..."

"Wait...where's the real Black Dranzer now? Isn't it still fallible until they have that?" Bryan's face turned dark all of a sudden.

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer too Bastion. I'm not saying anything on that, so don't you even try asking again." The younger man nodded, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm.

"If this is all so important, then why aren't we doing a rescue mission? I don't understand. Shouldn't we just go in and save them and have this whole thing taken apart before anything bad happens and they find Adrien?"

Bryan sighed.

"It's not that simple. If we storm the fort, they have helmets locked onto their heads." He paused for a moment. "There's a good chance Tala is alive still." An image of the man in the mask flashed before Bastion's eyes. He nodded.

"He's one of the hackers..."

"Yes. That's what we think. Those helmets have bombs in them. If we go in there, we loose all five of them. Not to mention that even if we did go in and save our guys, the best we could hope for is to kill everyone in there. That could be hundreds of people. If we miss just one it's our ass. We don't even know what they're trying to do yet. All we know is they have the server and they have a bitbeast that they need Adrien for. Why's Adrien so important? Why was it important enough to almost cause a nuclear war between Saudi Arabia and Russia?" Bastion cursed.

"It's that bad!?"

"Oh, they're pissed." Bryan sighed. "You don't just go into a foreign country and blow up a school!" He motioned behind him. "People get pissed at shit like that! And they didn't even like us to begin with!"

"So...what's the plan?"

"First thing's first. Find Adrien and get the hell out of dodge...then try to figure out what the hell is up with that bitbeast!"


	20. Return from Whence he Came

**Windstar: **it was a vain hope that if I held out longer I might have gotten more then two reviews, but I suppose I shouldn't delude myself anymore. I hope that FlamingIce and PWN3D enjoyed the last chapter, and I hope that any and all questions are answered in this one! Furthermore, I'm doing what I do best and asking more questions then answering. Someone was rather clever and figured out early on what this chapter was going to reveal, but I couldn't say anything about it.

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: See first chapter. **

**Chapter Nineteen: **

It was pure irony. All of that effort just to find Adrien Ivanov, and he was sitting in a cell with a chain connecting him to the wall, far away from anyone's thoughts, and crying himself to sleep for the third night in a row. His tears were streaking down his face in rivers and he honestly looked like a lost puppy who had no clue what it was he should be doing right now.

He didn't understand what was going on, and he was terrified. All around him he could hear the screams of the prison he was trapped in. They had started an hour or so ago, and now they were a common occurrence. With each scream he kept adding in some kind of face to it. The one face that he kept imagining though... was the friendly Officer that lately was trapped in his memory.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, coughing loudly as he shook harder. Somewhere along the way he'd caught a rather nasty cold, and the chill of their dungeon wasn't helping matters at all. In fact, it was only making things worse. His whole body was acing painfully, and now with his illness – he felt awful.

There was an overly persistent itch on the back of his throat, and coughing only seemed to make it worse. Yet he couldn't stop himself. He just kept coughing and hacking and sneezing. There was nothing else that he could do. He was trapped in a cold room with nothing but the cobblestones as comfort.

In all honesty, he most likely didn't even know for sure what it was he was even apologizing about in the first place. He did know he was most assuredly sorry for being there. He was sorry for everything that had happened, including this terrifying turn of events. Closing his eyes, he tried to focus, but he felt so dizzy! Most likely infections had set in his wounds and he had a raging fever. Most likely he was going to die if it was let to continue.

He felt as though his very soul was being ripped from him...everything hurt so much and he felt so weak. Randomly he'd feel too hot, and then he'd feel so cold. He knew that the room was cold, and so when he felt hot it only made him feel more and more scared.

"Kai...Kai please...I'm scared." He was shivering violently. "Kai! Come save me!" He didn't know why he wanted Kai. It was almost as though he subconsciously yearned for the last person who held him close. Bryan had tried on so many occasions to be a part of his life, but at the end of the day – Kai was always there for him.

He just had never realized it until that man had pulled him to his chest and so coldly talked down to Kiril. He wasn't one to bend over backwards for someone that he didn't consider worthy. That he held him, that he spoke sharply to Kiril and not to him...it made him feel so loved.

Bryan...Bryan just didn't seem to know what to say to him. He was always trying to leave in the middle of their conversations. He was always trying to ditch him. At the hotel even, he just waited for Kai to come and handle everything. Spencer and Ian really did most of the talking. That was just how they worked.

Adrien always knew that Bryan would have been his father's best friend, and so a part of him was always hurt by how awkward Bryan was around him. Did he remind the man that much of his deceased friend? Was he that much of a resemblance that he couldn't even look at him normally? He felt a shooting stab of pain in his heart at the though, and shook his head. Bryan just was odd in general – it had nothing to do with him.

That's what everyone else would say...

Kai would probably say: He's being a moron and it's probably a mix of a lot of things, most of which having to do with Adrien's relationship to Mikhail.

Kai never once had lied to him. Adrien loved him for that. He honestly did. Kai had never once betrayed that level of trust with him. The man's hug that morning had made him feel so loved. Kai had extended his love so wholeheartedly, Adrien craved it even now. He craved that protective feeling that enveloped his very body.

"Kai!" He called out once more, begging for someone to hear, begging for them to be his beloved elder who would rescue him and hold him just as a father...a father who he'd never known and had died so many years before.

The door opened, and he froze, coughing quietly he held his injured chest in fear. Right now he was too scared and too nervous to know what to do with himself. If someone came to hurt him again, he would be killed. He knew that. He could feel it in his very bones. He couldn't handle anymore pain or suffering. He just couldn't.

"Jesus Christ, fuck'd they do to you?" His head snapped up. Russian. Someone had spoken to him in slurred Russian. Not Arabic or Italian. Russian. Blessed Russian! The sight he saw though, made him freeze. His mouth dropped in awe at the brunette that was standing before him with an expecting look on his face.

"D-Daddy?" He asked in dumb shock. It couldn't be...it couldn't be. Mikhail was dead! He was dead! How was he alive? Yet he'd know his father anywhere. He'd know that stance, that face, that hair. He spent half his life staring at pictures of the man. He spent hours staring at his face in their auditorium. He stared at it so long that it was imprinted in his heart. He'd know this man's face anywhere.

But...that was another problem. Mikhail looked the same as he did in those photos. Barely over twenty years old, and staring at him with such a cool expression on his face. He was younger even then Kai and Tala. Probably even younger then Ian. He looked exactly the same as he had practically a decade ago.

"Daddy?" He asked in confusion, one eyebrow raising as he stared back at Adrien's wide eyes full of astonishment. "I'm not your dad kid-" Adrien wasn't listening though. His eyes were locked onto this man and he saw only what he wanted to see. He wanted and wished for his father to come to him, and here he was. Originally it had been for Kai's fatherly affections towards him, but now he knew that he just wanted to be with this person. This person more then any other in the whole world.

"Daddy!" He forced himself to his feet, no matter how wobbly he was, he needed to do this. He was shaking the whole while and he'd practically dissolved into a coughing fit, but that didn't matter. He needed his father to hold him and that was that.

"Hey, hey, kid, I'm not-" But Adrien was past listening. He stumbled forwards and fell face first towards the floor. The man – who was not Mikhail – caught him quickly. "Watch it! You're weak!" He hissed as he held the boy to his chest. He didn't know what to do, but he was quickly learning that arguing with this boy was useless.

"Daddy, Daddy!"

"Kid, I'm not-" Adrien was crying painfully. He wept so bitterly that the man stopped trying. There was no point on arguing with the boy. He saw what he wanted to see, his father. There was no need to argue any longer. There was no way he'd be able to make the boy think otherwise. "Hush, hush, what-cha crying for kiddo?" He asked softly as he gently stroked the boy's dark hair that matched his own perfectly.

"Take me home, take me home, please! Daddy! I'm sorry! We were going-going home like you said! I talked to Kiril and he slapped me and he spilled hot water on me, but I talked to him! I talked to him! I did! We were going home! They called a plane to send us back to the school! We really were going! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry! Daddy-"

The man who was not Mikhail took a deep breath and snuggled his head closer to the boy's. He rocked the child back and forth. There was no helping it, the boy was frantic and crying so hard now that every other breath was a gasping cough as he tried to get out what he thought he should say to him. There was nothing that he could say or do right now. He had to calm him down if he was going to get anywhere.

Still, the man who was not Mikhail's heart bled. The trembling child in his arms was crying so bitterly and so fragily that he couldn't help but feel his very soul die with each gasping breath that he had. The child was so sick and so injured, and so broken from the past few days that he was a complete and total mess.

"What did they do to you sweetest?" Fake Mikhail whispered softly, his voice cracking and displaying his obvious dismay as to what he saw going on with the child. The boy gasped painfully and started to shake as he struggled to breathe.

"They-they took Kiril! I'm sorry!" He was breathing so quickly now that the man started to worry what would happen if he stopped breathing all together. He just kept breathing faster and faster and faster until at long last he was gasping and gurgling that he was almost on the brink of a very painful asthma attack.

"Hush! Hush little love, Kiril's not your fault." The man sighed heavily. He was lying through his teeth to make the boy feel better, and he knew it was wrong, but he couldn't help himself. Telling the truth seemed so much worse. Especially considering how hard Adrien had tried to make things right. "Other people are taking care of him right now." Another scream filled the room, and Adrien looked up panicked. His green eyes were wide with terror and fear and he was still shaking even as he was struggling to regain control over his breathing.

"What happened?" He asked softly, his eyes tearing as another scream echoed through his head. He shook harder as he tried to ignore it...as he tried to ignore the voice in the scream that he knew quite well.

"Kai and the others are taking care of it, and I'm taking care of you. So just relax and breathe for me, baby. You're going to be alright. I'm going to take care of you, alright? So hush now sweeting...everything's going to be okay if you let me help you out." His voice was calm, but when another scream filled the room he flinched with his would be child at the same time.

"Kai?" The scream grew louder for a brief moment before suddenly cutting off sharply. Both of them looked at the door instinctively, as though the man in question would just appear like that. When he didn't, and the silence remained, Adrien felt tears pouring from his eyes once more – this time so much harder. "Kai?!"

"He's alright. You know him...he's always alright." The man murmured softly, though there was a caution in his eyes that even as sick as he was Adrien picked up instantly. He stared at the man he believed to be his father, and blinked a few times.

"I...are you...really...my-"

"Yes...and don't ask those questions, I don't know how to respond to you right now sweeting..." He sighed heavily and hugged the boy closer. "The answers that I want to tell you I can't. The only thing I can say to you is that I honestly wish things were different."

"Daddy-" Adrien was looking up at him with such wide eyes, he wanted to know the truth. He wanted to know what was going on. He was so heart broken and was in so much pain that he literally burned with the desire to know what was happening.

"I can't tell you..."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not too sure myself. I was hoping you wouldn't recognize me...I am far too young to be your father right now." He sighed heavily and closed his eyes.

"You...you did die right?" Adrien whispered softly. "Or...or did you-"

"No, no sweeting, I did die. I was shot." He sighed heavily and rocked the boy gently when he noticed that he was starting to grimace in pain. "They killed me...I died. There's no doubt about that. I promise you- I did not, nor will I ever (if I can help it) abandon you."

"But...but you're...how come you...I don't understand." He was crying again, and Mikhail closed his eyes.

"I know...I wish I could explain it to you too, but I can't. I was honestly hoping you wouldn't recognize me...If only you thought that I wasn't your father..."

"Daddy-"

"Listen to me now sweeting. You cannot tell anyone that I'm your father."

"Daddy-"

"No. Mikhail."

"I-I don't understand-"

"They're looking for you." He said softly, glancing at the door as though someone was going to come in right then to take the boy away. "They raided that school of yours."

"Wha-"

"They raided it and burnt it too the ground. They're looking for someone who has a blood relation to me." Adrien stared at him with wide eyes.

"I-I-"

"There's a bitbeast...it seems to only respond to my blood." He looked straight at Adrien, who was staring up at him in such innocent confusion.

"Your...blood?"

"The blood that runs now through your veins."

"Why...only your blood?" Mikhail shrugged.

"I told you I didn't know, didn't I?" He nodded, frowning slightly still. "I can't control it though. When I woke up...it doesn't want anything to do with me. Even Balborg won't react to me." The depression in his voice was obvious.

"Balborg...your bitbeast they buried with you?"

"My eagle...they gave it back to me when I woke up. They wanted to see what would happen...but Balborg refused to even talk to me." He reached into his pocket and held out the blade so that Adrien could see it. The proud eagle shimmered when his fingers touched it, signaling that it recognized the heat of a master's presence.

"I don't...understand. I'm not- I don't have a bitbeast-"

"That's right." Mikhail sighed. "You're 'blank.'"

"Blank." He coughed, voice straining as he blinked up at his father who was now moving his body this way and that to see the massive wounds on his body. Adrien just let him, his eyes staring up at his father, not daring to remove them.

"Yes, you're not designed any specific bitbeast. At the Abbey, you usually would have gotten one by now-"

"I didn't grow up there..."

"True, but are you telling me that no one in that school of yours has a bitbeast to call their own?" He hesitated slightly, trying to think. Now that he put some thought into it. The only people who really had them were the ones who had them before the Abbey was shut down. Mikhail rolled his eyes and grumbled slightly. "Well there were some things that Boris did right."

"What-"

"I'm telling you this not to make you pissed off at me, but so that you'll understand. If someone was blank it means that they can control with ease, more then one bitbeast." The child blinked, frowning in confusion.

"I...don't think I get it." The man sighed.

"Whose your teacher? Bry?"

"Yeah-"

"Bry probably went around talking about bitbeasts at least once right?"

"Ye-"

"Well then, while he was having this chat, did he ever mention – I don't know – that Kai's incapable of being burnt?" Adrien blinked. That did sound eerily familiar. After the crash, Tala had needed skin grafts to take care of the burns on his body, and he still had some to this day. Kai though was completely unharmed in that aspect. He could even remember seeing Kai sticking his hand into a fire before to move a log around. Tala had always winced and looked away when he'd done that, but Kai didn't seem too bothered by it.

"I think...yeah..."

"Spencer, the lucky dog – can't drown. He swims like a fish, go figure. Bryan can fall from pretty high places and not get banged up. He'll stop before he hits the ground. Ian...well...he kind of sucks. He can hear the ground and know what's happening around him based on vibrations. I was similar to Bryan on the falling thing...lets see who else would you know..." He trailed off for a moment then he snapped his fingers. "I doubt they ever figured out how to do it, but you know the Blade Breakers right?"

"Yeah."

"Max probably can swim like a mad man. He might even be able to do the no-drowning thing if he really put his mind on it...anyway you get the point. When you have a bitbeast, you yourself take some of the qualities of that bitbeast."

"What about Tala?"

"Tala? He never gets cold...and he's got one hell of a nasty bite." Mikhail laughed at his joke, but Adrien just frowned. "Anyway. You're blank. You don't have a bitbeast, and so you can take the qualities of any one you come across. Right now, if I dropped you while you held Balborg, you wouldn't hit the ground...that is if you can connect on that level with Balborg. That's the trick, talking to your bitbeast and being able to get them to talk to you too. Trust."

"I still don't understand what this has to do with what's happening now." Adrien whispered softly as his father started to apply pressure on his wounds. Mikhail looked at him easily enough though.

"Balborg won't recognize me as it's master, probably because I died. He won't even talk to me so I really don't know. In a sense, I'm not blank, but I'm not capable of blading with them either. You have the ability to use anything they throw at you, and because you're my blood...you can blade the bitbeast that I can't." He nodded wearily.

"Why...I don't get it...they did all this...for me to beyblade?"

"You know about Black Dranzer?"

"Yeah...they were going to use it to destroy the world and make Kiril a prince."

"That's right. It's the same deal. They don't want to beyblade, son...they want to use that bitbeast to do something or other." Adrien looked at him for a long while, his mind trying to process what was going on.

"So...they think I'll be able to use it...so they attacked the school and hurt everyone...because of that?"

"Yes. They need you son. So no matter what...you can't say anything. I'm not your father right now...I'm just a guard from the Abbey. That's it. All right?"

"Yes..." He smiled at him and placed a hand on his head.

"There's a good boy." There was a loud rush of angry voices and he looked sharply over his shoulder. Growling slightly, he shrugged out of his jacket and shirt and quickly rapped the child up in them. Adrien stared up at him in wonder.

"D-M-Mikhail?" He whispered in confusion, his head was swimming painfully and he was feeling dizzy all of a sudden. He wanted to go to sleep, but he didn't want his father to disappear.

"I need to go now."

"No!" The child gripped onto his chest even as he was being moved off.

"I'll try to get you some medicine for that cold of yours..." Mikhail placed his son next to the corner so that he could lean up."And your wounds..."

"No-please, don't leave me alone!" He reached out, trying desperately to grab onto him. He was crying even harder now, and Mikhail's eyes misted slightly as he stared at him. The voices disappeared, but he knew that he was pushing his luck by trying to stay.

"I have to, I'm sorry..."

"Please, please! I'm scared-"

"I know, I know kiddo...I know...but I can't do anything...I...I need to go." He glanced back nervously, something slow was coming their way now, but the louder the noises got the tighter Adrien clung on. He could feel his child's heartbeat through his chest, and it was only making him more and more worried as time past. He clung onto the boy and closed his eyes.

Right now he couldn't bare to leave. Right now he needed to be there for his son...for the first time since he left the night he died...he could hold his child in his arms. Adrien was terrified, absolutely terrified and he had every right to be. He was in a dark scary place without anyone there, he'd been beaten to a pulp, shot, given a cold, and was literally freezing to death in this cell. Adrien needed someone to be with him, and if Mikhail was any father at all...he should have understood that.

"I'm not cut out for this type of bull shit..." He whispered softly. "I last see you and you're not even four...I wake up and you're fifteen." He held the little boy closer to him. "I'm young enough to be your older brother now! What kind of father am I?"

"A good one..." A weak voice whispered from the door. Mikhail spun about and gripped Adrien to him as though ready to ward off some great evil. Only, there was no great evil. Only Kai.

"Jesus Christ Hiwatari, what the hell happened to you?" He whispered in dumb shock. He forced his son's head down so that the boy couldn't see the gruesome sight before them.

Kai's hair was cut haphazardly in a variety of places, and where there should have been long friendly locks, there was nothing but tatters and blood that was dripping down his neck. That was just his hair though. His formerly long flowing black hair that should have been simple to look at. That was just the beginning.

Moving right along, his face was covered in a myriad of scratches and cuts, one of his eyes were bruised and it looked like blood had glued it shut. There on his neck were strangle marks. His shoulders were sagging from their usual perfect posture. His arms were tattered and covered with long gashes.

His left hand was broken. His hips showed that he was keeping most of his weight on his left leg. He was overcompensating for a severe injury that was obvious on his right. Blood was soaking his pants and he looked like he was having trouble standing straight. He was wobbling terribly.

On his chest though...instead of the classic burn mark to represent when someone was considered a captive of the Temple, there was a long and deep incision that tore into his skin to show the emblem instead. It seemed like someone had realized early on Kai couldn't burn and instead had decided to enact a more crude sense of putting the brand on his chest.

"Kai?" Adrien whispered in awe as he struggled to look up, but Kai turned slightly, pushing himself into the darkness a bit so that the boy wouldn't be able to see him completely.

"Hey Junior. How you feeling?" He asked softly, his voice gentle despite the obvious agony he was in.

"Fine, where are you?" The boy looked up from his father's grasp, trying to find his father _figure_.

"I'm looking out for ya...givin' you two s'm time..." Mikhail frowned at the obvious slurs in the other's voice.

"Kai...what's today's date?" He asked softly, voice gentle as he tried to ascertain the man's mental status. He was returned with a barking laugh.

"D'you even know wha year it is?" Kai teased as he looked at his foster brother.

"Of course I do, that's not the point. You've got a concussion."

"Kai's got a concussion?" Adrien asked as he strained to see what was going on.

"Hush child, it's going to be alright. Don't worry-"

"No! What's goin' on with Kai? He's my family too!" Only Mikhail could see the small smile that appeared on Kai's face at that. Then he froze. Kai had leaned up against the wall and his eyes had slipped closed. Despite his injuries and his posture, Mikhail could only stare in growing horror at the thought that the man had passed out while he was standing there.

"Stay here Adrien." Mikhail said sternly before pushing his son off of him and moving towards his brother. He quickly reached out and took Kai's face in his hands. The man didn't even move. He just stood there with his eyes closed and breathing weakly. "God...why are they doing this to you...they need you too..."

"Gah...Lu..." The heir managed to whisper out, blinking blearily up at his brother. "Happ...ta...see...you...her...ya wer ba..." He was so difficult to understand that Mikhail honestly was starting to feel very worried.

"How'd you find out anyway, I thought they were keeping that a pretty tight secret." Kai smiled slightly.

"Miss Chris tol me while he gave me a tat-two." Mikhail felt his fists clench.

"You saw him too then, huh?"

"Fuck'n sucks ta be betrayed on a mission..." He mumbled softly.

"You were on mission!?"

"Yeah..." He laughed slightly and looked up at his would be older brother. So much younger then him now from so much time apart. "Chris sa, I fine Adri- here...so here I am." He smiled with an odd look on his face, and Mikhail nodded, glancing back at his son who was staring up at them in horror. He could hear every word – and the dangerous slur.

"You need to go to a doctor."

"You thin' my sec-tar-ee wou...notice?" He laughed and motioned towards his face and chest with his good hand.

"Man, I die for a decade or so and you go and grow up and get a secretary." Anything to keep Kai from focussing on the fact that he was ruthlessly concussed. Mikhail glanced back at Adrien who only a few moments before had been in desperate need for his help, but now it was clearly Kai who was in the most need of it.

"I...take care of him...I'll be okay..." The fifteen year old said, motioning towards the door. "Don't...let anything happen to him..." The worry was there. Mikhail could tell now more then ever before that the one person that Adrien really and truly loved and cared above anyone else was this man. This fragile man who was hurt so deeply by what had happened recently still had gone to see if Adrien was alright.

He knew more then anything else...Kai deeply cared for his child and had always treated him like one of his own too. Mikhail gently put an arm around his shoulders and felt his heart go out to his brother. For the past ten years, despite how young Kai had been at the time, he'd still formed a strong bond with his son and cared for him. Despite the pain and trauma of their lives, Kai had still been there for Adrien. That in of itself was enough to make Mikhail want to do anything for this man.

Adrien reverted into his corner, his eyes looking blankly away. He knew that Kai needed help right now, and that Mikhail had to help him, but that didn't change the fact that he longed for the two of them to stay there. He wasn't allowed to leave, the chain on his ankle was proof enough of that. It would keep him from walking out that door even if it was unlocked.

Mikhail whispered that he loved him, and then stepped out. He closed the door behind him and slowly started to take the Kai away. Kai didn't seem to realize what was happening and started to struggle slightly, panicked eyes going back and forth to where Adrien had been left behind.

"No, no- Adri-"

"He's fine...he's shaken up and a bit bruised, and I'm coming back down later to make sure he doesn't get a worse infection, but he'll be okay for a while. You need to get help." No need to tell him about the bullet that the kid dealt with.

"No! Adrien-I nee ta-"

"Kai. You cannot!" Mikhail looked at what should have been his younger brother and felt his heart break. Kai was honestly too confused to understand what was happening right now. He was too frightened and too confused to realize that Adrien wasn't going to have any lasting harm. Kai wasn't like Tala and even the others who had stayed at the Abbey for so long.

Where Tala had easily been able to center and calm himself after he was brutalized, Kai hadn't been able to do that. It had been far too long since he'd lived that life to remember how to handle it. Even Alessander had managed to center himself after Tala spoke to him. Kai didn't have that. He was so shaken that he was insensible. The only thing on his mind right now was Adrien and until he was satisfied there'd be nothing that would make him feel better.

"God Kai...calm down...shh..." Mikhail touched his brother's head, glancing worriedly at the door where he was certain Adrien could still hear them.

"Why dis happen?" Kai murmured softly as he staggered slightly. Mikhail caught him and held him up. Slowly he started to force the man to walk with him. If they were going to have this chat, it wouldn't be withing Adrien's hearing range.

"I don't know Kai. I don't know."

"Chris...Chris say dat..." His head was lolling and Mikhail growled low under his breath.

"Stay focused." He ordered as he shook the man. Red eyes snapped open and Kai frowned.

"Kay..." He sighed and looked up at his older brother. "He tol' Senior 'bout Korg." Mikhail felt his blood boil.

"Excuse me?" He asked lowly.

"Chris...been workin' wid dem since Boris...betray us when we went ta kill...." He leaned heavily against Mikhail as they stumbled through the halls. They finally got to one room in particular, and the brunette kicked the door open lightly so he could get inside. It looked like a doctor's office of sorts, and from the looks of it, Mikhail had been there before. He manuevered through it in the dark and he placed Kai on one of the beds as he knelt before him.

"I knew he was here now, but I didn't know he'd been doing it for a while..." Mikhail murmured, hate in his blood.

"You see Anna...?" Kai asked suddenly as he looked at him. Mikhail laughed slightly.

"Yeah, I didn't let her see me though. Hard to explain how I'm alive again...Michaels got away with it. When they killed him back then, they realized belatedly that they needed him, and took his corpse. I guess Chris helped make the switch believable. They brought him back to life and badda bing badda boom, you have the first member of the Revival Club."

"Rev...al...club?"

"Party of two, him and me. Your very own brought back to life specimens." Mikhail smiled slightly. "He told Anna that they used someone else's body when they found his corpse...everyone knows that I was dead though. Can't really hide that."

"Gusss...nah..."

"What about you? What are you up to these days? Bet you have a billion dollar pay check now huh?"

"Four..." Mikhail laughed loudly, shaking his head as tears were forced from his eyes because of his mirth. Looks like Kai still kept his witty behaviour over the past few years. He was glad to see that. It meant that not everything had changed. Kai was still Kai. "Mikhail..." Suddenly there was an odd seriousness in his eyes, and even concussed he got the point across that he had something important to say. Instinctively the man leaned closer, knowing that this was something he didn't want to say too loud. "If I don' mak it ow...'m marry." The brunette froze at those words. What the hell?

"To that girl?" He whispered quietly. "From the party?" The ball that they had all those years ago where he first met Anna.

"Yea...my kids-"

"You have kids?!" Mikhail hissed, his head whipping back to see if Kai was still being serious. He was apparently.

"Yea...twins...Jeanie and Niko...take car of dem. Please?" The begging tone at such an easy request made the man shiver. Jeanie meant nothing to him, but Niko...Nikoli...his father's name...take care of the person that he inadvertently killed years ago?

"Of course. Just how you cared for Adrien, though I'd probably have to fight Tala for the job."

"Have you seen him?" Kai asked, struggling to stay lucid.

"Yes...he's pretty beaten up, but he's alright. Him and that other boy, Alessander. The both of them are alright."

"Well now, isn't this cute?" The two of them spun around and looked up at Senior Ottilia who was staring over them with an annoyed look on his face. Mikhail growled as he looked up at him.

"He's concussed."

"So I see. I fail to see, however, how this is any of your business."

"He's my brother." Mikhail snapped back, glowering at him. Senior laughed.

"Are all of you Abbey people related. God, you seem to have been inbred." He stalked forwards and roughly shoved Mikhail out of the way with his cane. Kai hissed at him and struggled to sit up, but the man crashed his cane over his head and sent him straight back down with a blinding sensation that made him stare open mouthed at the wall in complete and dumb shock. His hands gripped his head, and his world was spinning now more then ever. "I seem to remember telling you not to look for that sprog." Mikhail whipped about, eyes wide. Kai had been warned not to find Adrien and he'd done it anyway!? "A little birdy told me that you were given directions...and yet I distinctly remember telling you that you shouldn't go find him isn't that right...?"

"Can' member.." Kai slurred as he blinked rapidly. He wasn't going to be able to stay conscious much longer. His very body was screeching to a halt and telling him that enough was enough. Senior growled and drew his cane back, but Mikhail shot in between them.

"You hit him again and he's not going to wake up." He hissed, eyes flashing.

"You see, this doesn't work for me." Senior snapped. "When I decide to reprimand someone, they get reprimanded. Don't think that by standing in my way you're saving him. It'll just come harder and faster. He doesn't need to be alive for long, just long enough to give me Black Dranzer." The heir snorted, and Senior frowned. "What? You find that funny do you?" Kai nodded blearily, and a darkness shimmered in his eyes.

An energy that was both unknown and terrifying shot from his body, and Senior actually took a step back for a minute when he saw the strange power that was emitting from Kai's body. He looked at Senior with a toothy grin, and with everything that had happened recently, that in of itself made him scared.

"Black Dranzer doesn't exist anymore." The voice that came out of Kai didn't sound like him at all, but Mikhail recognized it. He looked at him with such a stunned expression that he didn't even bother to move away. He was too awestruck to move. "She was eaten." The darkness filled the room. "She'll never fly again. Only through me will she fly. You'll never control me!" Then the darkness fell and Kai crumpled to the side. He was unconscious.

For a moment the two of them were completely motionless. Mikhail even looked back to gauge the man's reaction. Senior was silent for the longest time. He did not look pleased to say the least, that's for sure. In fact, he looked rather miffed.

What on Earth did Kai mean by...eaten...? That couldn't be right. Who would eat a bit beast? A sick thought suddenly came to mind, replacing that curiosity almost instantly. If Kai had the demon bird inside of him...did that mean that cutting him open was the only way to free the bird's powers?

"Mikhail. Stay here with him. If I come back and one or both of you are gone, when I find you...you will get a first row seat to that boy down there's beheading." Mikhail nodded, his eyes down cast.

"Adrien." He murmured the name softly, and Senior rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

"He's sick. He needs medicine." The man turned and glared at the young prisoner. Dark eyes looked up fearlessly. He wasn't backing down on this. "He'll die down there in the cold."

"I suppose you want him up here with you two hmm?"

"I'll take care of him...bandage him, give him some antibiotics..." Senior laughed.

"You're hopeless. Fine. Get the boy...but just so you know. There's no way out of me testing him on that bitbeast." Mikhail froze. "He's from the Abbey too. You didn't really think that I would ignore that did you?"

"I wouldn't have expected anything less from you, sir." Mikhail said stoically, not bothering to express his displeasure at the fact that Adrien would be found out very quickly. It was inevitable now. He'd shown that he knew the child, that was all it took to get him on the radar. Right now he couldn't care less about Senior's plan. Right now he just wanted so get the child some medicine and warm clothes, and check out that bullet wound on his side. "I'll be back in five minutes." He said before hurrying down the hall. He didn't make it too far before he heard some loud shouting.

The closer to the cell block he got the louder the screaming got. The sight that met him when he got there made him cringe. Closing his eyes he tried to force the images that would remain in his memory, probably forever, out of his head. It wasn't working well.

All around him were teenagers and young men who were being manhandled into cells this way and thought. Everyone was shouting and trying to get away, and every once and a while people would get tasered. All the way at the back of the hall was Adrien's cell, and he sighed. This wasn't going to be fun.

He slowly maneuvered through the crowd, guards glared at him as he walked by. They knew who he was and what his status was. He wasn't leaving any time soon, and so they let him be. Still though, that didn't mean they had to like him.

"Fuck you looking at bitch?" One asked as he walked by. Mikhail just rolled his eyes. You'd think after ten years of being dead people would think of better insults.

He moved towards his son's room, and he pushed the door open. Adrien looked up quickly, his eyes wide. He had been crying again. He really was scared of being alone...Mikhail reached out and started to untangle the chain around his son's ankle.

"Wha-"

"I have permission to take you to the med ward. You're going to stay there with me and Kai, okay?" He slipped an arm under Adrien's legs and slowly lifted him up.

"I-I can stand." The boy mumbled weakly as he coughed. He shook his head.

"I'm carrying you, don't complain. I missed out on this when you were younger, so you better just accept it." Adrien nodded and lay his head on his father's shoulder. "Close your eyes for this okay. Don't open them." The boy nodded once more, seemingly beyond capable of doing anything else.

Mikhail took a deep breath and stepped back into the hall. A few of the closer kids instantly fell silent at the sight of Adrien. They recognized him, obviously, but couldn't believe what they were seeing. The older boys especially. They finally recognized him, and he was not in the mood to explain what was happening.

"Let us go you jerks!" One kid shouted as he tried to tug his arm out of a guard's hold, but there was no way that he was getting his hand out of his grasp. There were about fourteen others who were being manhandled this way and that, and all the while there were people aiming guns at them and shouting at them violently. Not to far away a guard who seemed to be leading everything, was watching on in agitation.

"Can't you hurry this up? I don't have all day." He snapped as he kicked one of the teenagers in the back.

"Fuck you sleaze-ball!" The kid snapped back, furiously. "Why don't you just let us go huh?! What's the point in capturing us?"

"The point is none of your concern! Stupid boy!" He slammed the butt of his gun into the boy's back and he yelped. A few of the other started screaming – struggling to help their friend.

"You jack ass! Let us go right now!" Angrily the man smashed it back down on the boy's shoulder.

"Be quiet all of you. If you cooperate nicely, I won't smash this brat's face into the ground. Of course...I could always kill him." He whirled it around suddenly and the Abbey students froze at the sight. They may all be trained to kill and fight – but that was getting a bit out of their reach. Disarming a gun from so far away was a little...impossible.

"Why...why are you doing this to us?" Someone dared to ask as they got pushed into a new prison.

"Because you might have something that we need. Now...why don't you all be good little boys and listen to what I say....then maybe you can go home."

"A home you destroyed!"

"Semantics." And just like that they were shoved to the side and ignored.

Through it all, Mikhail moved passed them. His eyes were full of sorrow, and Adrien shivered painfully. He tried to hug his father as he started to recognize the voices. Mikhail whispered softly in his ear, telling him that everything was going to be okay. He knew that this was terrifying, but there was nothing he could do about it. Right now his only option was to get Adrien to safety.

He sighed heavily as he maneuvered himself through the crowded hall. Holding his child bridal style he had to struggle to fit through the small openings. Every time he passed someone they fell silent though, eyes staring at him in awe. One of the more annoyed guards turned around and frowned. He stalked forwards and roughly pulled Mikhail back by the shoulder. Dark eyes snapped into a furious glare.

"Where are ya taking that one?" The guard snapped as he made to pull Adrien away. Mikhail snuffed it with his shoulder and bore at him with a blazing stare.

"He's going to the med center. By orders of Senior. Back off." Mikhail's voice was low, and the man recoiled.

"You don't give me orders." The guard hissed.

"Take it up with Senior then." He turned and started to walk away, and in his wake all the boys started hooting and hollering their approval. He hadn't even done it for their support. He was just doing it for his child...his very sick and very hurt child who desperately needed him.

**Windstar: short of hopelessly begging, please review?**


	21. Vita

**Windstar: **This chapter used to be chapter twenty-one, but because of some editing I felt the need to move it up a bit. I doubt there's much of a difference, but where this chapter should have been explaining a bit of what Kiril's been up to, you'll have to wait a tad long. I hope you enjoy!

Thanks to the speedy reviews, they made my week!

Happy St. Pats everyone!

**Chapter Twenty:**

Somehow, at that moment Kai and Mikhail had been allowed to stay as Adrien's roommates, and they spent most of their time in the medical wing. Mainly because it was airconditioned and they needed so many of the supplies. The beds that were there were far nicer then the floor, and they were loath to leave it.

Kai had woken up about a day or so after Senior had left him alone, and the first thing he saw was a worried pair of green eyes staring at him from across the room. The teenager flew to his side the moment he met his gaze, and it took the man a second or two to realize that he was even still alive. He hugged the boy to him while looking around the room, Mikhail wasn't too far away sleeping in a chair and looking mightily uncomfortable.

"Hey Junior..." Kai said softly as he groaned ever so slightly. He struggled to sit up, but he was still seeing threes and it wasn't exactly the best move on his part. He looked down at himself and frowned at the bandages that were wrapped around his copious wounds. "You do this?" He asked lightly, and the boy shook his head.

"Dad did." He replied motioning towards Mikhail. "He cut your hair too." At that the man raised a hand up and felt for the first time that his hair no longer touched the back of his neck and was now chopped almost crew cut short. He sighed. It couldn't be helped. Christopher had done a nice job in making sure that he didn't look very pretty anymore.

That was one score he was more then eager to settle. That bastard's days were numbered that was for certain. He tried to focus on his son's...or rather his nephew's face, and he noticed the distinct hair cut change that the boy had as well. Another crew cut, and he snorted. Apparently Mikhail's ability to cut hair was limited to one style.

"How're you doin?" He asked lightly as he gave the boy a once over. The teen shrugged.

"I'm alive." That was true, but it wasn't saying much. Wasn't saying much at all. Kai looked down at his own broken bones and sighed. He wasn't going to be much help on any escape plans that was for certain. The way Chris had broken his left hand had insured that he'd never be able to fire a gun again with it. At least it wasn't his right hand...he could still do something with that.

His legs were torn to shreds though, it'd take a monumental effort for him to even think about trying to plan an escape in his condition. The best he could do was stay behind and pick people off to ensure that Mikhail and Adrien got out safely...yet somehow he didn't think that they'd like that plan. Especially Adrien. The way the boy was latched onto him didn't make him pause to wonder. He knew it was true. He grimaced. This wasn't how things were supposed to go.

Mikhail's inability to cut hair properly led to quite a few good natured jokes while the two injured parties were trying to recuperate. Adrien was surprised when he realized that he actually thoroughly enjoyed the bantering. Before hand he'd always questioned his Commander's sanity whenever he saw them making light of serious situations. Now that he was in such a position though, he realized that the strength to do so was far greater than the simply sitting down and let misery over come him.

Actually fighting against the pain and suffering and trying to laugh and joke made the pain almost fade into the background. It never fully disappeared, but it wasn't at the forefront of his mind anymore. He was surrounded by his loving fathers, yes fathers, and it made him happy for it.

He realized early on that as he sat there and thought…he honestly and sincerely loved each of the two men that were before him. He didn't want either of them to step out of his life. Though it seemed the Kai had decided that Adrien needed to spend more time with Mikhail then with him, he refused to let it be so. Mikhail could find his own spot in Adrien's life, and that was that.

He realized that if his father, his blood father, had never come back then it wouldn't truly change things. Kai would still be the person that he wanted to talk to about everything. Mikhail was great, but for the first time his mind put together the truth. Mikhail was simply a memory of a man that he had known long ago. He hadn't really raised him.

Adrien loved him because of childish memories and broken promises. Kai had been the true father there, and while he knew it broke Mikhail's heart – he couldn't deny the fact that Kai had really been the father he needed all his life. So as he was confronted with both of them, his mind put it simply. He would still treat Kai the same, and he would still love Mikhail. Their relationship however, was yet to be defined.

Mikhail turned slightly in his sleep, and woke up. Adrien turned over and smiled at him. For a moment the recently revived father was struck by just how innocent his child looked in that one moment. Then as he glanced over towards Kai he was sobered and brought back to reality. Not everything was as it seemed.

"I thought I told you to get some rest." He sighed as he looked at the young boy.

"I couldn't sleep..." Adrien muttered as he looked at the man. Kai laughed and shook his head.

"Well go get some now, I'm up and at 'em and I'll still be awake when you need to get up alright?" He grinned and the boy yawned, trying to deny that he wasn't tired. Still, it only took a few minutes before the boy was out like a light.

Mikhail looked over to Kai who finally let the pain he was feeling show. He leaned back against the wall and groaned, sweat forming on his brow. Mikhail sighed and grabbed some water from the fridge next to the doctor's desk. He popped the cap and started to pass it to him. He helped Kai's sip it when he realized the man's hands couldn't hold the glass.

"Thanks." Kai whispered softly. Mikhail nodded. Then he just couldn't take it anymore.

"What'd you do to Black Dranzer?" He asked at long last. A dark brow raised and red eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at him.

"Why do you ask?"

"I heard her voice. Talking through you. You said 'you'll never use me again.'" Kai sighed.

"Did I now?"

"Not 'her,' 'me.' You were talking as though she were you...that she was inside of you. And then you...Kai...did you...eat her?" The heir didn't say anything, just pierced him with a look. "Jesus Kai, why the hell would you do that!?" Adrien shifted slightly, and he quieted. "Do you know just how fucking stupid that was of you?!"

"When we had a plane crash all those years ago, Dranzer told me to take parts of her and eat her. It would keep us alive long enough to get help..." He sighed and looked away. "Dranzer couldn't do it forever though, it would have killed her. Black Dranzer told us then that because we were blood bound to her when Boris created us that if we...took her in...we could be healed completely. Luka wasn't going to make it...he was going to die...so...I made the call. She said he wouldn't feel any lasting effects as long as I was the one who took the last of her in." He closed his eyes. "I never told Lu...I couldn't do that to him. He was unconscious and dying and so she had made herself into a more spiritual form that his body could absorb to keep him alive. But he found out. I had Dranzer out a few months after he started to heal...it took a while. Months actually...but it was going so fast I knew he'd think something had happened. One day he just walked in when Dranzer was out, and he saw her wing that hadn't healed yet and I knew he understood what had happened. I took the last of Black Dranzer in though...and because of that the remainder of her spirit lives on in me." He closed his eyes and looked up at his brother who stared at him with such a sad expression.

"So she's gone?" He asked softly. Kai shook his head.

"No...she's still alive. In me...and she's growing in power the longer she's in contact with my blood and body. It was the other factor for why it had to be me...I was always supposed to be her master. Luka wouldn't have been able to handle it if he took in the last of her. She'll feed off my life force until I die, and then she'll be reborn again." Mikhail nodded slowly.

"They'll kill you if they know that your death will bring her back." Kai just smirked.

"If they do that, then they won't have anyway to control her." Mikhail shook his head.

"You don't understand-"

The door opened to the medical wing and the two men looked up and stared slightly in surprise at the sight of Tala who also seemed to have a ridiculous hair cut and a long scar running down the side of his face. The redhead smirked.

"Well, lookie here. We got all three people I was trying to find in one room. Lo and behold my search has come to a close." He sauntered in and gave Mikhail a quick hug before heading towards Kai's bed. "You doing alright little brother?"

For a moment no one was quite sure what to do or say. Kai was staring at him as though he had just swallowed a bug. His eyes were bulged out of his head and his jaw had dropped. He could hardly believe it. Mikhail seemed better suited for the situation, but even he was having a few problems. The suddenly random appearance of the redhead took a moment to process. Still, Sacha jumped back into the heat of things after a quick head shake to settle his thoughts.

"I'm doing just dandy, you're going to get killed if you're seen without that helmet on." Tala shrugged off his concern easily enough.

"They can't kill me, everyone loves me!" He snickered as he plopped himself down on the bed next to Kai's feet and leaned against the wall. His face turned serious all of a sudden, and he looked at Mikhail with a piercing gaze. "Although what we really should be talking about; is in the event that I am killed, what's to stop them from bringing any of us back?" Mikhail sighed and looked away. "I'm not the only one here who's noticed that my eldest brother is alive and well, right?"

"It's a bitbeast." Mikhail said softly, sitting down next to Adrien and drawing a blanket around him as the boy slept.

"I figured that much. I wanted to know is how it was that you and Michaels were brought back if this bitbeast only listens to you in the first place." Mikhail raised an eyebrow. "Oh come on, we all know that Anna's not the sharpest tool in the shed. She might have bought his 'they cut off my arm and left it there for a DNA test' excuse, but there was no arm that was left behind. There was a corpse one minute and a vacant autopsy table the next. The whole body was gone, not the whole body minus and arm." Kai scooted himself up in bed so he was in a more comfortable position, his eyes pinned on Mikhail. "Besides, Michaels has aged and you haven't. That means he was brought back sooner rather than later. My guess is that you're still around twenty two, you haven't even spent a year newly alive."

"Now here's the kicker, did you get all of that from the fact that you're observant, or did you actually hack into the files and figure it out for yourself." Tala scoffed at Mikhail's comment.

"We all know I can't actually control that server worth a damn." The edge in his voice exaggerating the lie easily enough. Considering he too had Black Dranzer in his body he should very well be able to control it. "So back to my original inquiry. We can assume that Michaels broke under torture and made a comment about you," he looked at his oldest brother, "which made them bring you back to life. What I'm still trying to figure out is just how it is that they did that when they needed you to control our bitbeast friend." The man across from him sighed.

"It's a DNA soak."

"A what?" The two technically younger people asked as they looked at him.

"They couldn't control Vita, that bitbeast, without me. So they used a machine to electronically force her out of the bitchip. They used her DNA to create a solution that they soaked me in until I woke up." He left out the fact that it took months if not years to do, and that every single nerve ending needed to be reconnected. He vaguely recalled it when his optic nerves had first reconnected and he could watch as his body started to piece itself back together. It was much like being in the womb again, a mechanically run and bitbeast powered womb that ripped him clear out of the land of the living and tormented his soul the whole time.

"That's disgusting." Tala muttered, and even Kai looked a bit peaky.

"I never said it was pretty."

"If they have this solution, why do they need your progeny?"

"Supposedly it'll go faster. Apparently I was _soaking_ for nearly a year and a half." The redhead made a face.

"Like I said…disgusting." He shuddered slightly and glanced over towards Kai who seemed to find the whole ordeal rather unfriendly. He didn't appear to like how this situation was going at all. Looking back at Mikhail, he continued. "So this kid of yours, what do they want to use her for?" Kai snorted at how Tala was hamming it up, seriously.

"They want to make _her _bring someone back to life. I don't know who…a man…umm…Terry? Tony?"

"Antonio Ottilia?" Kai hissed as he pushed himself up more, his eyes wide for a second. Mikhail frowned.

"Yeah, you know him?"

"I _killed _him." Silence filled the room and Tala looked at him sternly.

"Why don't you share your story with the class?" He advised at Mikhail completely blank look on his faces. Tala had been in the hospital at the end of that excursion, he knew what had happened and what was going on. The other didn't.

_Kai stepped into off the plane with a yawn. He was exhausted from the flight and he just wanted to head to the hotel and take a long long nap. Anna was at his side grumbling about something or other, and when they made it through the airport they were greeted by a pair of police officers in blue. Both teenagers glanced at each other as though this was the last thing that they wanted._

_"We're here to escort you to the station to give you your briefings special agents." Kai groaned at the man's done. He obviously didn't think highly of the fact that a couple of kids were taking over one of their cases, and in all honesty – he didn't think highly of the fact that he was taking over one of this country's cases. He was very happy in Russia doing his work for Operation Freedom. He did not have time to gallivant around playing in America._

_Still he knew that they needed to do this. He glanced towards Anna who nodded slowly. Together they followed the policemen into their patrol cars and into the back seat. The child locked doors and bars that separated them from the drivers did nothing to make them feel any better about this situation. Not in the slightest. Kai glanced over to where Anna was scowling at the world around her._

_"Not a happy look on your face." He commented lightly as he looked at the girl with a small smile. She glanced back._

_"It's the first time I've been home in a long time Kai." She told him softly. "It hasn't changed much, but at the same time…it has changed."_

_"It's New York, it's not likely to have stayed the same no matter how little time you were gone for. Besides, you won't have to even talk to your family if you don't want to."_

_She grinned and nodded, and they were quiet for the rest of the trip. They both were used to sleepless nights spent in the office, and so they didn't particularly begrudge these policemen for wanting to do this meeting now instead of later. The only thing was that they wished that it had been only half an hour later. Neither of them was dressed for a meeting with their superior officers. They were in travelling clothes that were comfortable and weren't liable to make them fidget on the plane._

_They entered the ISA's station easily enough and they walked inside to meet with Commander Boone. The man didn't seem too surprised that they were dressed in street clothes, but he found the need to hold it against them._

_"Couldn't find the time to dress more appropriately for a meeting with a superior officer?" He snapped. The two glanced at each other for a moment. They both had snapped to attention and saluted appropriately enough to the bastard, and considering what he'd done to get them there they really couldn't believe that he was commenting about their clothes._

_"No sir. Next time we'll be more efficient, sir." Kai said though, he really didn't want to deal with this man any longer then he absolutely had to. The man just waved them off._

_"Your target, privates, is Antonio Francesco Ottilia."_

_"Excuse me?" Anna's demeanor fell instantly, her eyes widened as she stared at him. Boone just cracked a grin._

_"I thought you could provide us with some more details about him and his business Miss. Anna since you came all the way here for this mission."_

_"I wasn't aware this mission was going to be about my family sir." She snapped back. A few of the other officers in the room glanced over, surprised to hear those words come from her mouth. She continued though, knowing that she'd dug a hole for herself. "They abandoned me in Russia when I was a child, I haven't spoken to any of them since that time. What makes you think that I know anything that could be of use to you?"_

_"Oh, I thought you might know something. You'll be surprised how quickly it all comes back to you." The man stood up and walked around the table._

_"Sacha-"_

_"It's Kai."The boy snapped, his eyes narrowing. "Do not call me that name."_

_"Honestly, kids and their nicknames-"_

_"Sacha's not my name, my family doesn't call me that, neither should you. The next time, I'm on a plane out of here." The man scowled and looked at him in annoyance._

_"Do not talk to a superior officer in that manner, boy." Kai growled but held his tongue. He knew his place well enough. Still, that didn't mean he had to like it. "Kai you're going to be running intel on the ground. I want you monitoring that man's activities for the rest of the week. If you can somehow manage to do that without screwing up, I'll agree that your unit in Russia is actually helpful…somewhat. Is that understood?"_

_"Sir, yes sir." The boy replied, closing his eyes and counting to ten. He was getting a bit frustrated as it was._

_"As for you Anna, since you're training as an Operator, you're going to be running as his Operator while he's on the ground. The same rules apply, understood?"_

_"Yes sir."_

_"Good, now get out of my office. I expect to see a report every day. Starting tomorrow at six am." The two saluted and then left, hungry and tired and very much annoyed they climbed into the back of a taxi and went to their hotel._

_What they didn't know then was that Boone very much had set them up to fail. The first thing that happened when they walked through those doors of the hotel was run directly into Antonio Ottilia. The bastard was signing some papers and talking with some business men._

_When they walked inside, Anna caught Kai by the arm and forced him to walk around the lobby until they got to the desk where they signed in as fast as they possibly could. He gave her strange looks the whole while until they reached the elevator and Antonio actually rounded the corner and bumped clear into them. Anna cursed under her breath as she looked at her uncle. It had been years since they'd last seen each other, hopefully it would be enough._

_The man looked at her for a long while, head tilted to the side in confusion as she apologized and jumped into the elevator. She made a show of calling Kai her big brother and that mummy and daddy were waiting for them upstairs. She even added a British accent just to add to the case, but in the end it wouldn't do much to hide her identity._

_For the first four days Kai was on the ground following the man around New York City and trying to figure out just what he was involved with. During those days Anna followed him, tracking him with surveillance cameras that she hacked into and various other outlets. She was constantly monitoring Kai and their communications log was submitted each day to the appropriate authorities._

_Boone had to admit that he was impressed by the amount of work that the two were doing, and grudgingly he came to accept that they weren't simply stupid children. Their work was more detailed then some of his own men's work, and that was saying a lot since he didn't accept any lacking behavior in his units._

_One night while Kai was running lines, and dropping locating devices; there was a loud scream that sounded from his ear piece. He hissed and tore it out of his ear, all the while back tracking his way towards the hotel. There was no response when he tried to get a hold of Anna, and as he ran up the stairs to see if she was alright, he would be horrified to discover that Anna had been attacked right in the hotel. Someone had followed her and had found her location._

_He opened the door to find the whole room a complete mess. The computer she had been using was in shambles on the floor and it looked like someone had thrown it as hard as they could. He could only imagine Anna doing that as she was struggling to hide evidence of what they were doing there._

_Later on he would discover that Christopher Hughes had told the Ottilia family about where Anna was and that had been the reason why she had been captured that night. She was nothing if not thorough. She never did a hack that could be traced unless she wanted it to be traced, and the fact that someone had supposedly done so did not sit over well with him._

_He sighed and walked towards the computer to see if there was anything salvageable from it. The monitor may have been destroyed but the computer might still live. That's when he saw the flashing numbers that were counting down to his death. He stared at it for only a few seconds before running as fast as he could out of the room._

_He couldn't make it to the door and so he took a risk and dove out the window just as the bomb went off. He could feel his clothes catch on fire as he was thrown through the air, and he was falling faster and faster. He managed to angle himself just right though and as the swimming pool on the third floor came into focus, he pulled his dive up and he surface dove into it. His whole body protested the action, but the fire was out and he wasn't dead._

_Ignoring the screams of the patrons he made a call to the ISA and told them what had happened. Boone ordered him to return to HQ and forget about Anna, but he couldn't do that. She was one of his best friends!_

_"You're going to return to the station now!" Boone ordered as he started to protest against him._

_"Are you going to send someone after her?!" He shouted back, shaking his head and trying to focus._

_"No, she's MIA and I'm not going to waste my unit on a soldier that could very well be dead for all we know."_

_"You're not even going to try to save her?!"_

_"It's her own family, she knows how to take care of them. Return to base. Do you copy?"_

_"Negative, I'm ignoring that order." He hung up the phone and walked away, he wasn't even going to bother with it if Boone was just going to order him away. He wouldn't have it!_

_For the next eight hours he went to each location that he remembered hearing about Ottilia being. It took him a long time to get from place to place and eventually he commandeered himself a bike and pedaled the whole way. He felt like a complete moron using a pedal bike to get from location to location, but he didn't have any other choice, he had no other mode of transportation, and he couldn't risk a taxi._

_When all else failed he went to a local library and called Anna's supervisor. Korg picked up the phone in an instant and he quickly told him what was going on. The crazy looking man was horrified to discover what had happened to his girl and he quickly started to talk Kai through the hack sequence that he needed to go through in order to find the security system to the hotel room they were in._

_He watched the whole scene take place. Antonio opening the door to the room and Anna turning around, firing a shot off at the intruder. She missed and he tackled her to the ground, pinning her down and calling her by name. She kicked and scratched and clawed and just managed to dismantle her computer before he knocked her out. Using him as a basis he followed their car through a variety of security feeds until he finally figured out where they were going. A warehouse._

_He pulled Dranzer out of his pocket and started to walk closer to the building. As he peered inside though he stared in growing horror at the sight of his friend tied to a pillar and being hit repeatedly by her Uncle who was calling her every name in the book._

_"To think my little nipote was the one who has been tracking me for all this time. For the government of all things!"_

_"International Security Agency not National idiot." She groused, feeling her face flush slightly as she said those condemning words. The man growled low and caught her by the face once more._

_"You should have just died when my brother left you out in that country. You never should have come back." He pulled out a gun and aimed it straight at her._

_"Don't do that." Kai hissed, forsaking everything and stalking forwards, ire clear on his face. Anna looked up at him in horror._

_"Kai!" Antonio and his cronies turned around and looked at him._

_"Who the fuck are you?"_

_"Kai Hiwatari, I'm the heir to Hiwatari Enterprises. Let her go and you'll get the biggest ransom you've ever seen. My grandfather would pay billions to have me back." He took his gun out of its holster and slid it across the floor, his hands up in the air as he walked forwards._

_Antonio was doing the math. HE made billions of dollars a year. The thought alone that the heir was right here and willing to make a trade would give him more money then he'd ever dream of. It was worth it to him. He motioned to his lackeys._

_"Go grab the kid."Kai stood there patiently and let the two subordinates surge forwards and grab him by the arms. Anna was screaming for him to leave, but he already had a plan and right now leaving wasn't an option. He was thrown to the floor and his hands were tied around his back. What he didn't let them see though, was that Dranzer's bit was in his hand the whole while._

_Antonio laughed as he looked down at the young boy. He could hardly believe how easy it was for him to get money. Kai was like a walking checkbook and he was eager to cash it in, but first he had something he needed to do. Raising his foot he slammed it into the boy. Kai jerked slightly hissing. He knew this would probably happen but that didn't mean that he wanted it to._

_Antonio smirked as he stared at the bold look on Kai's face. The boy wasn't scared of him. He knew full well that soon this whole place would be on fire and soon these bastards would be dead. The man knelt down before him, reaching one hand out to cup the boy's face._

_"You're a rather pretty specimen aren't you?" And for the first time in a long while, Kai felt his blood freeze. He looked at him impassively, and his defiance only made the man glare at him all the harder. He raised a hand and punched him hard across the face, before kicking him in the gut. The shock was enough to make the boy open his hands just slightly. Dranzer fell out of his grasp; and Anna froze. She realized what he was trying to do, and by the frantic way his fingers were feeling around for the bit chip, she realized that he couldn't do it without the blade._

_Suddenly they were moving, Antonio dragging Kai away from Anna and away from Dranzer. The bird lay forgotten on the floor as the two teens stared at it with open anxiety. Kai stared up at Antonio as his terror started to grow. This wasn't how this was supposed to happen!_

_The man slid a hand up under his shirt, starting to feel his skin and Kai glared hatefully at him. Bull shit. This wasn't happening. This was not happening. He closed his eyes and focused all his energy on Dranzer. He forced himself to fall into a far deeper and more dependent state then he'd ever gone before. This right now was not going to occur. He wouldn't let it._

_The second Antonio even thought about stealing a kiss from him was the same second that Dranzer heard his forceful and extremely powerful emotions shouting at the top of his spiritual proverbial lungs. Fire erupted all around him, his very body practically bursting into flames. Antonio was trapped inside it, his eyes widening as he tried to pull away, but he couldn't and the flames scorched him until he could only collapse to the ground – dead. The fire seared away the rope around his back but left the rest of him physically unharmed. His clothes were intact and he could still move._

_He moved as fast as he could towards Anna, but not fast enough. One of the cronies called out Diabolo! and suddenly a bullet cut through his chest. He winced, and his pain suddenly made the fire grow stronger. It slashed through the building, stemming off his body but at the same time emanating from the chip itself. It didn't take long before the entire building was being burnt to the ground. Anna's arms were untied and she gasped as he pulled her to her feet._

_He wasn't going to be able to keep this up much longer though, he was bleeding badly from the stomach and he was very close to just passing out. He grabbed Dranzer up off the floor and the two of them just managed to get out before the whole building collapsed around them._

"So…Antonio is a perverted child molesting bastard who was scorched to death by a really pissed off phoenix, and we can all thank Boone and Chris for that lovely experience." Mikhail surmised as he looked at his youngest brother. Kai ran his right hand through his hair and sighed slightly.

"Not one of my happier days that's for certain." The heir mumbled. Tala nodded slightly before moving on.

"Senior wants to bring his son back to life…why didn't he just bring him back when he brought you back? He knew the serum worked." Mikhail shook his head.

"It doesn't…not really. I may have been brought back…Michaels too…but there's a big difference between the life I lived then and the existence that I maintain now. I can't even fully describe it to you. I'm not allowed to say much more on the topic either. All I can say though is that he's looking for a way to bring people back without the repercussions of it…and there _are _repercussions." Tala nodded once more.

"So…how long do we have until he finds out where you kid is?" He asked slowly, eyes refusing to even look at Adrien.

"Probably no more than a few more days. He's testing all the kids he rounded up from the Abbey, he'll figure it out sooner or later." The redhead sighed and suddenly his head fell to the side and his body slumped slightly. "Tala?" The pale man didn't even budge. He didn't react to his name at all. It looked like someone had just turned him off randomly.

And at that thought, they remembered the LXCom.

"What are the chances that someone hacked him?" Mikhail asked softly. Kai shook his head.

"Not good. He's checking something, he'll be back in a second." And just like that blue eyes snapped open and he was on his feet again.

"No one's ready to do anything outside the complex. It'll take them a few more days to even think about organizing any sort of group that'll be able to enter the facility. We'll just have to hold him off for as long as possible. I have to go, they're going to start noticing I'm gone in a few minutes and I need the time to get back to my cell and reactivate the cameras." Mikhail blinked.

Could this man do…anything? He didn't seem capable of not being able to do something. That just didn't seem right!

"Chances are they're going to find Mikhail's heir sooner rather than later, let's just hope we can get _her _to safety before it happens hmm?" Tala was moving again and heading towards the door. "Take care of yourselves alright? I'll try to come by sometime to see how you're all doing. Maybe next time my favorite nephew will be awake." They nodded and said their farewells and Tala was gone, vanishing down the hallway.

Mikhail snorted slightly and shook his head. He'd never understood just how well suited Tala was for this type of thing. His ability to control any machine that came his way as well as his ability to reason at such high speeds made him almost invincible in the field.

For the rest of that week though, they were living on constant edge. Adrien was the last one that would be called up to test with the bitbeast, and as that came closer and closer they realized that there was nothing that they could do about it. There was no rescue mission set and they were going to get caught.

Even so, as Adrien was tugged out of the medical ward and Kai was dragged to another cell, Mikhail felt terribly, terribly guilty. It was almost as though he wished he could have changed it all. If he just hadn't done something maybe all of this would be different. He followed silently, watching them take his son into the room. The other boys were all there as well, as though they had lied and cheated when they'd gotten near the bitbeast and they were going to try again. Still, Mikhail knew that it wouldn't take long for this bitbeast to recognize the child.

It was the one thing that he should have warned the boy about before he was taken away. He couldn't though. He just couldn't. He didn't know how to explain it to him, and that was another thing he felt guilty about. He felt guilty about the fact that when that boy went to stand before the bitbeast and try his luck, he should have known what he was going to see.

Still, he'd held his tongue. He stood in the shadows and watched as the brunette was forced forwards. He looked far stronger then he had before hand. The boys that had seen him being carried away even let a sigh of relief out as they saw that he was alright. His sickness was gone, and now it was only the infection on his chest that needed to be tended slightly. The wounds on his hands and leg were starting to heal up nicely, but it would take them a bit longer until they were perfectly secured.

Mikhail watched on in silence as Adrien struggled to not be chosen. He tried to get away, but he couldn't do anything. He could only be forced forwards. The more he shouted the more they dragged until at long last he stood just before the bitbeast's chip. He stood before it and he stared at it in silence.

Senior watched on in avid interest as the boy's eyes took in everything about the disk. He took the child's hand and the teenager looked up at him in dumb shock. He didn't know what to say or what to do, but the man simply dragged out a knife from his pocket and made a small cut on the boy's palm. He held the palm over the bitbeast, and like magic, she was there.

Everyone reeled back, no one had quite expected that. Whenever someone else had done it there had simply been silence. Not the sudden burst of light and shadows that overcame everything. Not the sudden shrill shout as if an army was coming ready for battle. Adrien's palm slapped down, clutching the bitchip in his grasp out of sheer instinct. His arm had simply been pulled out of Senior's hold and forced to hold onto the bit chip.

That's when he really saw her…saw her for who she really was. Beautiful light brown hair cascaded down her back and dazzling green eyes stared directly at him. For a brief moment he felt his heart stop, and then he felt extremely dizzy. There before him was a woman who looked so much like him he said the first word that came to his mind as he watched her.

"Mama…?" Her dark hair moved as the head nodded softly, and he took in the long wings that came from her back – one black and one snow white. It was like looking at an Angel and a Devil at the same time, and yet he couldn't care. He couldn't find the will to care. All he could hear was one word that echoed through his head.

_Run!_

And run he did. He hit the ground and rolled and the guards yelped as he scooted passed them and through the door to the room. The angel vanished from where she had been floating before them, and with her disappearance everyone had jumped into action. The boys had started to fight as hard as they could, attempting to buy their friend time to try to escape. Mikhail ducked out the door and started sprinting after his son who was vanishing around every corner he turned around. Not too far behind Mikhail was Senior who was desperately trying to catch up.

Mikhail had to hand it to the bastard. He may be an old geezer – but he most certainly was athletic. They were running as fast and as hard as they could and yet Mikhail soon lost sight of the boy. He couldn't even begin to fathom which way he'd gone. He simply was left in the crossroads to stare at the emptiness in horror.

Adrien was sprinting as though _he _had wings. He was going so fast that he was blowing passed hallway after hall way. He cut a corner and stared in shock at the sight of a grim faced Kai being led by that bastard Christopher Hughes. Anger coursed through him, and he snapped forwards, punching the man in the head as hard as he could.

Christopher went down and Kai stared at the boy in dumb shock. Adrien's hand slipped into his and suddenly they were moving again. Only this time, there was no way Kai could keep up with his frenzied pace. They were taking it slow but they _were _going to make it out. They just _had _to.

"You need to leave me behind. Get out now, you have the bitbeast right? Get out." Kai hissed as he looked around the corner. Guards had been called forth and now they were ducking and hiding behind each corner and door that they could. Kai knew full well that they didn't have time to wait for him. His body was too damaged to run and there wasn't any likelihood that that would change anytime soon.

"No! You're coming with me!"

_Listen to him, you can't stay here._ There was that voice again, but this time he shook it off.

"I'm not leaving you here."

"You're being insensible. I'm going to hold you up. You're going to die if you stay here do you understand?! You need to go!"

"I won't, so stop trying to make me!" Kai hissed in frustration, but he knew it was true. There was no way he could fight off Adrien and force him to leave. The boy held all the cards. They'd already left Mikhail behind, there was nothing left that he could do except for continue moving forwards. So that's exactly what they did.

They moved carefully and slowly and they dropped anyone that came their way. It hurt like a bitch, but Kai managed to shoot and kill a few people and even knock some of them out. He tried to recall a mental map of the place. He tried to remember which way to go and which way to guide the boy in.

All the while he watched Adrien's back and made sure that nothing happened. He wouldn't let anything happen to him. He wouldn't let anything happen. They made it around a few more corners and turns and opened a door to a room that was much like a dome. Kai stared at it for a few moments before nodding.

He recognized this place.

It was the most dangerous room so far. The deeper they got into it the more easy it would be for someone to pick them off. There was more than one door to this place and there was nothing they could do about it. They needed to go through this room to get outside.

He looked his boy in the eye for a moment and nodded. They needed to do this, and then they'd be free. He could almost taste the freedom on his lips. He could almost hear his wife calling his name. They would go home and they'd be free. He'd see his children and he'd protect Adrien until the day he died. He'd help Bryan and the others get everyone else out, but right now Adrien was the priority. They needed to get him out to stop this whole plan from taking place.

They made the turn and they started for a set of stairs that were just before them.

"This is it…" Kai whispered softly. "Once we get down these we make a left and then a right and then we're out." Adrien nodded and the two stated down them when a shot fired across the room. The brunette froze when he felt Kai go rigid. Another shot, and blood splashed across the boy's face. He looked at Kai in horror, blood was falling from the man's mouth and he could start to see the man's eyes roll to the back of his head. They were down two stairs already and there was no turning back now. One final shot hit, and Kai pitched forwards.

Adrien screamed, there was nothing he could do. Kai's arm was around his shoulders to help him walk better, and _his _arm was around the man's waist. When Kai fell, so did he. He vaguely remembered Kai wrapping his other arm around his head and then he just remembered hitting every stair on the way down. Crack after sickening crack echoed in his ears until finally they came to a stop at the bottom.

He opened his eyes. He could hardly believe it. He thought he was dead for sure! Sighing slightly he looked up at his foster father's face and whispered his name…only Kai wasn't moving. He was just laying there was his eyes staring upwards, completely and totally frozen, blood falling from his lips as his head leaned at such an awkward angle.


	22. Three, Two, Anna, and Kiril

**Windstar:** Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers, I suppose begging does help! In a show of appreciation I've updated a bit sooner then usual. This was going to be posted as the previous chapter, but I think the time line works better this way and it adds to the suspense. Someone mentioned that this is turning into a zombie fic and I had this image of everyone walking around (er...limping? around) with their skin rotting off and their eyes falling out of their head only to be wrenched back by their optic nerves. It was rather...ummm....unnerving (yey for puns). Anyway, I guess it could be considered a zombie story since people are being brought back to life, but there's a point rhyme and reason to it all so I hope that'll make things make sense.

I suppose I'm not done torturing my OCs yet though. This is Kiril's moment of glory and well, confusion. He's going to be out of commision for a little bit but we'll see more of him in snippits later on.

Thanks once more!

**Disclaimer: **Same.

**Chapter Twenty-One: **

Kiril groaned as he came back to awareness. His head was spinning slightly and he wanted to figure out what had happened. The last thing he remembered was falling...and then...? Sighing he sat up slowly, staring at the world around him in confusion. There was a man he barely recognized sitting across from him, and he looked at him with a frown.

"Who are you?" He asked softly, and he frowning slightly. He usually wasn't so forward with people, but right now he really didn't know. He wasn't even a prisoner. He was laying in a relatively normal looking bed with a relatively normal environment. It wasn't a jail or anything. That only further added to his immense confusion of the situation.

"You can call me Senior Ottilia." The man introduced simply, nodding to him briefly.

"Ottilia?" Kiril couldn't help but lace the word with disdain. He wasn't all too thrilled with Anna right now. In fact, one could say that he was downright pissed.

"I believe you know my granddaughter." Anger coursed through Kiril's veins.

"You're her grandfather?"

"Yes, I am." He laughed. "You don't seem pleased. Doesn't that make me your great-grandfather? She adopted you, no?" Kiril rolled his eyes. "We're family."

"Some family. Family doesn't abandon each other."

"True...they also don't poison each other." The boy felt his blood freeze in his chest.

"Excuse me?"

"I've injected you with a slow acting poison. You'll die within three days if you don't have the antidote." For a moment, Kiril thought he was joking. He honestly thought that this was just some big haha that was going to get fixed in a few moments. No way was he poisoned. That wasn't possible he couldn't have been poisoned.

His eyes traveled downwards, and they fell onto his arm. A point of injection was still visible and there were even some bruising around it. He felt his stomach drop. He could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"You poisoned me." He stated slowly, oddly being rational about this considering how stressful the past few days had been.

"My my, are you sure you're not related to me by blood? You're so sharp!" Senior rolled his eyes. "Yes, I did say that didn't I?"

"Why not just shoot me? It'd go faster." Considering it was his death, he didn't seem so concerned.

"Because, if you ask pretty please I'll give you the antidote." Senior smiled and Kiril rolled his eyes.

"No thanks." The teen lay back and stared at the ceiling. "So what...three days from now I die then?"

"See I knew you were a smart kid."

"Sucks...I thought life would be longer." He was playing the game, and Senior couldn't help but be amused by it. Acting tough now wasn't going to get him anywhere though. In fact, he really didn't care if the boy never wanted the antidote. This wasn't for Kiril's happiness at all.

"Well, you'll be living the rest of your life as my prisoner, so I hope you can find your new lodgings acceptable."

"How long have I been here?" He asked suddenly, for some reason he felt like it had to have been a long time...the bullet wound on his chest still hurt – but it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. The man just laughed as though it was all some private joke.

"Just over two weeks." He answered brightly. Kiril's face fell.

"What?!"

"Now, you'll be coming with me." Senior stood up and looked at the teenager lightly. Kiril felt his blood boil, but he knew that ignoring him wasn't going to do much good. Right now he had no idea where he was or what he was doing. All he knew was that this man held all the answer.

He stood up slowly, and when he did, his legs yelled at him. He wobbled – one hand reaching out to grab hold of something. That was when he noticed the sores on his arms. When had they gotten there? Probably while he'd been knocked out. They were ugly and black, and he felt sick when he saw them. That didn't look very good to him...

Senior was smiling brightly and he scowled. Did that man do nothing but smile?! It was making him uncomfortable. Especially considering how this was the man that was going to be the cause of his death. He shuddered at the thought of that.

He did not want to go there right now. He may have acted brave to save face, but the thought of dying in three days did not make him at all happy. In fact, it made him start to worry a bit. There was an antidote right? So...he'd be okay...if he got that antidote...

He was unsteady as he walked, just like he was when he first woke up in the hospital. His body just wasn't used to having weight on it yet, and he wasn't helping it by not walking for days on end. In fact, he only seemed to make it worse. Gritting his teeth he struggled to follow Senior as they walked down the halls. All the while he tried to figure out what type of poison he could have been injected with.

He didn't have a clue though. It could be anything...well...that wasn't true...how many poisons took three days to kill you?

Then he bit his lip....just how was it going to kill him anyway?

After a few minutes he started to feel incredibly uneasy. He recognized this walk. This was the way to that room...to that balcony...he felt sick. He didn't want to make this walk...in fact...he wanted to turn around and go the opposite direction. He didn't want to fall again...he really really didn't want to go through that one more time.

They walked onwards though, all the while Senior had that stupid smile on his face that made Kiril so uneasy. When they approached that door, the man turned back and grinned wider before pushing it open and stepping inside. He motioned for Kiril to follow, and the boy did.

The room looked exactly the same. Everyone was there too, that is, everyone except for Kai. For a fleeting moment he wondered if he only imagined Kai being there. All he saw now was Anna, a man with one arm, and the five people in helmets.

Anna looked up and when she saw him she was on her feet immediately. He scowled though. He didn't even want to look at her right now. There was a set of stairs that led from their balcony down to the main floor, and the man started walking down them. He followed behind, knowing that was what he was intended to do.

Suddenly he had the very odd feeling of being just some dog that this man thought he could lead around on a chain. He didn't like that feeling. In fact, he completely and totally detested that feeling down to the ground. It was annoying.

"Well, I see that our productivity has increased quite a bit since last time hasn't it?" Senior asked as he reached the ground floor.

Kiril could see the tenseness that Anna had in her back. She looked like she was struggling to retain herself from doing something she'd regret. He wondered what...this was her grandfather right? This was the person that she left him to be with right? Left them all to go play in Arabia...with her other family.

"Yes...sir." She nodded quietly, her eyes dark as they looked at the man. He smiled that eerie smile again, and walked towards the servers that were set up. The five hackers were still inside, doing whatever job Anna had assigned them too.

"Good...good." He looked back towards Kiril who stood with his arms crossed not too far away. Anyone could see that he wasn't enjoying himself, and he was steadfastly refusing to look towards his would be mother. "Bring them out. I have an announcement to make." The man told his kin who nodded and sat down at the desk she was at once more.

She started typing on her keyboard, and the teenager felt a surge of anger. So compliant. How dare she flaunt her new found allegiances before him. How dare she!? She was responsible for Tala's death! Even if he was still alive, she was responsible for his capture! It was all her fault! It was her fault that his brother had been taken hostage!

As the minutes passed, he realized that all he was doing was getting more and more angry as time went on. He didn't have the energy to care though. He just wanted to see her suffer. He wanted to see her in pain. He didn't care what happened to him, he just wanted to see her hurt!

One by one the pilots left the server, and looked around the room in slight confusion. When they saw Kiril and Senior though, their mouths became grimaces. Already things didn't look good for the rest of their day. Already they felt like everything was starting to become bad once again.

Senior didn't seem too concerned with their lack luster. In fact, he just smiled brightly and looked at them all as though they were simply flies that he was dealing with rather then people he was black mailing and torturing for his own benefit. He was well aware at this point that they were at least semi informed about what he was trying to do, and so he decided to take it upon himself to completely inform them all. After all, he was hosting them, it was the least he could do.

"As you can all see, your little brat friend here is still alive." He started off, motioning to Kiril who scowled at the introduction. Nice. Senior glanced back at him with an annoyed look on his face and roughly grabbed his arm before shoving him towards the hackers.

Two caught him quickly the moment it looked like the teenager wasn't going to be able to find his footing. The teenager pulled back stubbornly, looking away. Still, Two couldn't help but smirk when he caught sight of the blush that had formed on the teen's face when he had shown that he needed help just staying upright.

"Now...I thought I'd give you all some ground rules." He cleared his throat, and Kiril glanced back towards him, his eyebrows knitted together. Ground rules? About what? "First and foremost, in three days unless I give that brat an antidote he's going to be dead."

Kiril felt his breath be stolen from him. That's what he was poisoned for!? For blackmailing these people?! To make them feel pity for him so they'd do what he wanted them to do!? He felt his fists clench as he glowered at him. He didn't care about dying if it was just to spite this bastard, but to be the cause of black mail made him feel the distinct urge to protest loudly. He didn't quite have the opportunity to say anything though, just as he opened his mouth – Anna was screaming!

"You poisoned him!?" He turned and stared at her, his mouth dropped slightly. She almost sound worried about him. She almost sounded as if she cared...what the hell was that all about? That wasn't right...what?

"I believe I did just say that." Senior retorted, rolling his eyes.

"You-you bastard!" She screeched, her face red as she tried to pull back her emotions. She felt as though her very body was tingling with hatred. Pure unbridled anger coursed through her.

"Why do you care?" Kiril couldn't help asking as he looked at her. He honestly felt dumbfounded by her behavior. Was it because she felt guilty? Was that it? It was too late for that! It was too late in deed! He may have craved her attention when he felt sick a few weeks ago, but now his anger had been brought back full force, and he didn't want her attention!

She looked like she'd been slapped across the face. She physically recoiled, and he could have sworn he saw tears in her eyes. It made him want to go in for the kill, and he couldn't help letting the words fall from his mouth. He just wanted to see her hurt.

"Last I checked, you left and that's all there was too it. So what does it matter? It's been what, six years? In three days you won't even have to wonder where I am, you never bothered in the past – so why so mad?" With each biting word Anna became more and more immobilized. Her breathing stopped and she stared at him with such teary eyes that he hated her for it. How dare she act sad now! How dare she!

"Kid – stop it." He froze. He knew that voice. He knew that voice! He snapped his head around and stared in awe at one of the men in helmets. He knew that voice. As he stared, he took in that neck, and that posture. That stance, those hands.

"T-"

"You're making your mother cry." The man cut in again, motioning towards where Anna was standing shell shocked.

"T-" There was a slight shake of the helmet. Not now. He felt his own tears forming in his eyes. He was alive?! Then suddenly the words caught up with his brain. "She's not my mother!" He shouted angrily, glaring at the disguised man in annoyance.

"Even so, you've hurt her enough. Especially since it doesn't seem like you understand the situation." Another voice he knew! He turned his head and stared at the second man in awe. Alessander and Tala were both right before him, and he wasn't allowed to say anything about who they were? That wasn't fair! He thought they were dead! He should be allowed to go be with them! And just who did Alessander think he was chastising him like that?

"I'm not apologizing." He hissed, temper still raging.

"No one's asking you too. We just said enough was enough." Tala told him sharply. He flinched at the tone, and looked away.

"Well I personally think you should keep going, please. I'm interested." Senior said snidely, and Kiril glowered at him. If that was a reason for him to stop, then he would in a heartbeat. If this man wanted to see him berate Anna, then he wasn't just going to satisfy his whims. "No? Well then let's move on...just because he gets the antidote however, does not mean he's as healthy as a jailbird." Kiril blinked.

"Excuse me? Doesn't that mean it's a shitty antidote?" He asked, crossing his arms. Senior whipped out his cane in a blink of an eye and slammed it across the boy's face, cutting his cheek open as his head snapped to the side. The teenager looked up in dumb shock. He couldn't believe that he'd just been hit. His hand raised to his cheek as he blinked in horror up at the man. He'd just been hit! How dare he!?

"Regardless of what you think of it. It works simply: you get the antidote, and you'll be set for another three days. You don't get it, and you're dead. Are we all on one page with this?" They nodded, Two reached out and pulled Kiril's wrist slightly, making him back up more from the man when it looked like the boy was in so much shock he was unable to do so. "Now...as to what this is all about..." He smiled at them. "Starting from now on, you all are to be practicing the highest class ranking of hacking these servers will let you do."

"Sir-it'll kill them! They haven't had enough time to-"

"Shut up you stupid girl!" Senior roared at Anna's interruption, she looked away, biting her lip. So far she was oh for two . "I have found my little bitbeast master." A tightness cut into the room. No one could breathe for a moment. Anna's hands went to her mouth, and Kiril could only look back and forth between everyone in confusion. What bitbeast master? Senior stalked forwards, glowering at each and every one of them. "You know what really annoys me?" He asked hatefully as he stood before Three.

"No sir." The masked man replied evenly. His throat was caught in a strangle hold and Kiril moved as though to stop it, but Two pulled him back.

"Hush! He knows what he's doing!" Two whispered softly.

"That you dogs knew who he was all along, and not one of you said a word!" He shoved forwards and Three stumbled backwards, catching his footing just before he fell. "I should have known when Kai came storming into my office, but no...I just thought he was being an over protective idiot over someone he thought was his responsibility." He glowered over towards Anna who looked away, not meeting his eyes. "Who would have thought that with a little digging, I'd find that Kai's brother was Mikhail?"

"Mikhail?" Kiril repeated, instantly attentive. The man whipped back to glare at him.

"Oh yes, you don't know yet, do you boy?"

"What's Mikhail got to do with anything?" He snapped back, not amused by the man's behavior.

"Simple...your little punk friend's his son."

"Adrien!?" His face became awash with worry. "He's alive? But you shot him, I saw you kill him!" He pointed at Anna "She saw you kill him too!" Senior glared straight at the girl in hatred.

"So, you knew he was here as well did you?"

"No...I saw him get shot, and your men put Dmitri and me in a van with Kiril and took off."

"Dmitri?" Kiril asked as he looked back at Anna. Senior's face was purple he was so angry now though.

"Do not utter that devil's name for my child!"

"He's my son, not yours!"

"Wait! I have a brother!?" Kiril was struggling to follow the conversation, and because everyone's temper was on edge, he wasn't getting very far. Nothing was making sense to him any more. First there was something going on with Mikhail, and then Adrien was alive, and then he had a brother, and on top of all of this he was poisoned?! What the hell!?

Still, he was promptly ignored, as Senior rounded on Anna. The hackers felt like they were watching one huge family feud that wasn't making much sense to them too. They could only watch as Anna became the target of this man's ire. It was probably her intent to do so too, she was also extremely furious with the man and didn't want to deal with him much anyway.

"You murdered my son!" The man shouted as he got right up in her face. She stood her ground.

"He doesn't even look like you! He looks like his father!"

"Excuse me, I have a brother!?" Kiril shouted, trying to get some footing in the argument. Hacker Number Two turned him so that they were facing each other for a moment. He started trying to explain the situation the best he could while the others were still shouting at each other, there was nothing that was going to get solved by further involvement in any of this. Right now everyone was being too loud to even notice the fact that Three and Two were both crouched before the teenager and talking to him.

Senior looked like he was about to hit his granddaughter the way she was acting. He raised his hand, but Michaels just cut in to grab her arm and tugged her back before the strike could fall. Then his attention was completely on him.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing!?" The man snapped towards the formerly deceased.

"I won't let you hit her." He replied calmly.

"I'll have you all know that I'm still the one in control here!" Senior shouted, as he looked at everyone darkly. They all looked back at him, their faces showing their defiance towards his claim. He looked like he was going to start screaming again, when suddenly he just laughed.

The eight people in the room stared up at him in slight horror and confusion, not understanding what the laughter was about. Still though they didn't have time to think about it because he walked away from them all and back towards the stairs. He walked up them while he laughed on wards, only at the top did he turn and stare down at them.

"Perhaps now's the time to tell you all this...Kai Hiwatari died last night." No one quite knew what to say. Anna's mouth dropped, her eyes instantly filling with tears.

Kiril looked like he was denying that very train of thought. That wasn't possible. No one could kill Kai...no one! Kai was the best! He was the best at everything! If Tala had survived, then Kai could as well! He could feel Two's hands on his arms tighten, but when he looked towards Three, he couldn't believe what he saw.

There was nothing. No reaction at all. No cry of disbelief, no stunned face. Nothing. He seemed completely at ease with the news. That wasn't possible...no...that wasn't possible!

"H-how did-?" He asked as he looked up at Senior, his heart was breaking in his chest. Kai couldn't just die! That wasn't allowed!

The man just grinned.

"Your little friend Adrien thought it'd be a good idea to run away with my bitbeast when he realized that he'd been found out." So how did Kai die? "He ran into your foolish Commander as he was leaving and decided to bring him with him." He started laughing again, and it made everyone more angry and frustrated then ever before. "They were going down some stairs, and would you believe it?" He pulled a gun from his pocket and aimed it down towards them. Just before he could fire, Three tackled Two and Kiril to the ground. The bullet hit the ground just where they'd been standing. "They tripped?"

"You shot them down the stairs?" Three clarified as he looked up. His voice was eerily calm despite the fact that he should have been angry, incapable of handling that information very well. Kiril couldn't understand how this attitude was possible, but he looked up at Senior who was smiling the whole while.

"Broke his neck on the fall because he was more worried about keeping Adrien from getting hurt. Stupid self sacrifice." Michaels' eyes suddenly widened with understanding.

"Bastard." He cursed under his breath. Anna looked over to him.

"Michaels?" She whispered.

"Manipulative bastard." He clenched his fists together as he glared up at Senior who was smiling the whole while.

"Got something to say down there Tristen?" The man snapped as he looked at the former ISA commander.

"No." He replied, though his fists remained clenched at his sides.

"And on top of that..." Senior cocked the gun again and aimed it straight at the three males on the floor. "That school of yours is destroyed. I took the liberty to round up all those little brats that were on the outskirts of the school and the ones that were left behind. Now...I wonder who gave off the warning that they were going to be under attack?" He fired, but the bullet just bounced off the helmet that Three was wearing. The masked man didn't even flinch. He just _looked _coldly straight up at the bastard. "These doors are going to be locked. Don't even try to get out. I'll see you in three days. Maybe then you'll have adjusted your attitudes."

No one could say anything for a while. The thought that Kai had died was still on everyone's mind. Michaels was refusing to look at everyone's faces though. He didn't want to look at them. He didn't want to see their grief, and he didn't want to see what their pain.

Not for the first time he wondered how things would have been different if he had never met them. He didn't know what would have changed, but he knew that none of this would have happened. None of them would have been in this predicament right now. Little Adrien wouldn't be in the situation he was in, and Kai wouldn't have died.

A thick silence had filled their room. Everyone was looking at each other like they knew all the answers, like they understood the gravity of the situation. The truth was, none of them really understood. None of them knew the true depths that this was running too...and he couldn't say anything. One person was able to exist with a semi restricted form of freedom right now because he agreed to do things their way. He wasn't going to just tell these people everything. He was going to hold his tongue until he knew that that person was going to be alright.

It didn't take very long before Kiril whirled around and pointed an accusing finger at Anna though. Michaels sighed heavily as he closed his eyes. Things never looked like they would be alright with that relationship. Kiril held a grudge too deeply for that. There was nothing that could be done about it though...in the end Anna had severed that tie far too much to be saved in a matter of minutes. It would take a long time before they were able to reconcile.

"What was he talking about Adrien for?!" He yelled, glaring at her. She flinched slightly before it seemed something snapped inside her. She was sick of him talking down to her and she wasn't going to take it anymore!

"Maybe if you listened better you'd have figured it out by now!" She snapped, placing a hand on her forehead as she tried to take a deep breath.

"Don't talk to me like that, just answer the question _traitor_." His arm was tugged again by Two.

"Didn't we tell you not to talk to her like that?" He hissed lowly, and she smiled lightly at the display. She was right. Tala really was there.

"Don't tell me what to do, you're not my father!" Her mouth dropped. Their relationship had been ruined that much by her leaving? That's what Kai had told her...Two scowled darkly.

"No, I'm not, but that doesn't mean you can keep talking to people like their beneath you twerp." He replied, flicking the boy in the forehead with his finger before letting him go. "God kid, you're such a nuisance."

"Well why don't you explain it too me if you're so _clever_?"

"Adrien's been chosen to be the master of a bitbeast that has some extraordinary powers. They ransacked the school trying to find him because they didn't realize that they already had him. Kai probably went looking for him when he saw you here and stupidly told them that he was his nephew. They did a search, found out about Mikhail and Kai's connection, and then Adrien's connection to Mikhail because of that. Got it memorized you little brat?" Two asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Why did he say that Kai was dead?!" Kiril screamed, his eyes flashing with anger. No one could respond to him though. No one knew what to say. In the end...they didn't have all the answers. As far as they knew, that man was right. Kai was dead, and there was nothing they could do about it. The fact that he'd died like that though...

Anna's fingers twitched around the locket containing photograph that Kai had slipped her the first time they'd truly talked. The picture of the twin children that were nestled into Adeline's arms. Those babies...they'd never see their wonderful father and know what a marvelous man he was...they'd never have that honor. She couldn't imagine what Adeline would say when she found out. She could only imagine the pure grief that would destroy the blonde princess.

_One last mission_, she thought sardonically, right Kai? Just one? Tears slipped down her cheeks as she slowly sat down. Michaels placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her, but it was useless. Kiril's innocent question had sparked a flame in them all.

Kai Hiwatari was dead...and that was enough to make them all break down and just cry.

Still...as the hours passed and the group stayed in that room with no relief, another small fear started to jutt into their minds. There was a very good chance that they were going to die in this room. Anna looked at her small bottle of water and realized that on the third day, they could all very well just die of dehydration.

That could be their life...or their end as it was. Not only for them though, also for Kiril who was quietly sitting in the corner feeling and looking exhausted. Two had sat next to him at some point and talked to him quietly, but Kiril wasn't looking at him. He was just sitting there feeling lost and confused, and he probably was a great deal heartsick. He didn't feel good, not at all, and they understood that.

After all, it wouldn't be just dehydration that would kill Kiril in three days. It would be poison.

Anna had tried to sit by Kiril and talk to him a few times, but each time she got close, he'd glare at her and pull away. He didn't want anything to do with her, and after a while she gave up hope. Though sometimes she'd catch him stealing glances at her, nothing made her feel any better about the situation. Especially when he just seemed to be infuriated when other people talked to her. Like Three. Almost as if he could hear their conversation, the moment Three knelt before her and started to speak to her, the teenager scowled hatefully towards them.

"I don't understand what I'm doing wrong..." Anna whispered to the masked man.

"What do you mean?" He asked back, gently. There was a smile lightly on his features, but it didn't put her at ease.

"I don't know how to talk to him..." She leaned back in her chair looking and feeling useless. "When he was kid he came to me all the time...we could talk about anything."

"He's not a little kid anymore though." Three reminded her. Kiril tilted his head not too far away, clearly straining to hear what he was saying. "He's a big boy and he probably thinks he can take care of himself. In all honesty, it looks like he hasn't let anyone _try _to take care of him. He doesn't want that type of debt."

"I'm not asking to be repaid for my kindness!" She hissed, and Three nodded.

"You left." His voice was even. There wasn't any emotion, it was just a simple fact. He wasn't involved after all. He motioned back towards where Two and Kiril were sitting. "You left him and your boyfriend, and you took your unborn child with you. You probably broke their hearts." Her head angled down towards her hands, she knew he was right. "Leaving a child when they desperately need you...no matter how important the reason was...it scars them."

"How do you know?" The man smiled sunnily at her.

"Personal experience. My son stopped talking to me years ago because I was an idiot and left him alone for several months while I followed a fool's errands." He took a deep breath and continued. "He never forgave me for it, and in truth, never let me into his life ever again." She was captivated by his words.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's alright. Though I'm sure now...because I left him again when those bastards brought me here...I'm sure he believes that I abandoned him again too. I should never have gotten caught..." There was a deep sadness in the man's voice that made Anna's heart tug painfully.

"If...if he were here...what would you say to him?" She asked him, looking at Kiril and trying to understand how to put her words together. Three just laughed.

"Nothing." She looked startled, not understanding.

"I don't understand..."

"If my son was here...if they knew they could use him against me...he'd be hurt far more then I would ever dream of allowing him to be hurt. If they knew they could beat him...shoot him...poison him...to make me do something I don't believe in...he'd suffer once again by my actions. No matter how deeply and how strongly I love him...I would never do something that would make him hurt." His voice raised slightly, emotion pouring from the words.

Kiril heard them all crystal clear though, and hot anger coursed through his body. He leaped to his feet suddenly, and Anna looked up at him in awe. His eyes were glittering with tears as he stared at the couple.

"Well it's no wonder your son hates you!" He shouted, face flushed as he clenched his fists. Two looked at Kiril in quiet silence, as though he already knew what the teen was going to say. "When you leave someone for that long and don't even bother to try to be with them when they need you – no wonder he hates you! No wonder he thinks you don't care about him! If he was kidnapped, then he'd want to know that someone still cared, that the person that he wanted to be with his whole life still cared about him! He'd want to have someone by his side that he knew so he wasn't afraid anymore! You suck as a father if you think leaving him alone will make everything better, because it doesn't!"

"Kiril-" Anna tried, but the boy wasn't done yet. Three stood up slowly, turning to look at the boy.

"He'd probably be scared! He'd probably be confused! He'd probably be wondering what happened to Kai, and where Adrien was! He'd probably be terrified! He'd want someone with him that he knew and that he knew would be there, not some flighty person who leaves on a moment's notice and isn't there when he really needs him!"

"And what should I say then?" Three asked as he started to walk towards the teenager. "Should I tell him that I left all those years ago in order to find that boy happiness? To find something to make him smile at the end of the day? Should I tell him that when I realized I wouldn't be able to find it, coming home then would make me a failure-"

"He probably just wanted you to come home! He didn't care! He just wanted to see you! He just wanted to have you in his life again!"

"Even if being there hurt him more?"

"How could it have hurt him?! He missed you, you bastard! He missed you! He wanted you! Not some gift or replacement, he wanted _you_!" Three stopped just before Kiril who was staring at him with such burning anger and resentment. A sad smile was on his face.

"Then should I apologize?" He reached out and pulled the child to his chest and held him there close. Kiril froze, not sure what was going on. Two had gotten to his feet, watching the scene in stiff silence. His hands were at his side and he looked like he didn't know what to do. Anna covered her mouth with her hand, wondering if she should step in. Kiril's face was awash with uncertainty as he looked passed Three's shoulder to the woman that was standing there in silence. "Say: 'I'm sorry, my dear, dear son...I'm so sorry you're hurt because of me. I wish you never had been involved...I wish you were free of this place...I wish you were saved-"

"I just wanted to go home." Kiril whispered, his hands reluctantly reaching him to hug the man back. Tears had formed in his eyes.

"I know." Three said softly, and Anna truly believed that he meant it. It was almost as if the two were in their own world. Three replacing Kiril for his son, Kiril replacing Three for Tala. They stayed like that, Kiril crying bitterly in Three's arms while Three just held him to his chest with no fears. "I know you did." He rubbed the boy's back when he just cried harder.

"Why did you lie?" Kiril asked weakly, struggling hard to control himself but with the open acceptance for him to be able to cry right there – it was hard to do so.

"I was trying to protect you." Tala – no, Three. Three. Not Tala. Anna shook her head. Still, before her she couldn't imagine anyone else there who could speak so softly and so gently to that boy and have him retaliate and just collapse unabashedly in his arms. Just behind where they stood, Two was watching on in silence, and she felt her heart pang.

Kiril had been ignoring him completely before, and yet here was this man capable of getting the teenager to open up in a way that Two and her could only dream of. This man who was not Tala seemed to know exactly what it was he needed to say to make everything better. It just made her feel worse.

"I didn't want your protection! I wanted you."

"I know that now..."

"Well you should have known earlier! You should have known instead of leaving and dying!" Kiril wrenched from Three's hold, and the man let him, sighing.

"I'm not your father kid." He said softly, looking away. The teenager glared.

"I know you're not, but you're a goddamn bad one to whatever kid you do have." He snapped back. Then he looked at Anna. "And you give shitty advice."

With that he turned and walked to the other side of the room, sitting down alone and curling into himself once more. He was done with all of this bull shit.

"Don't talk to him like that." Anna whispered after a moment. Three looked back at her, frown on his face.

"How would you even know?" He snapped, his voice like ice.

"He wants his father right now, not you, not me."

"You know...that's one thing I have to agree with." She recoiled at the sudden hatred in his voice. "I used to think that if I met you again-"

"Again?"

"I'm from the Abbey too Missy-miss. I knew you from long before."

"Wha-who are you?" He shook his head.

"I used to think that if I met you again, I'd be able to forgive you. Forgive you for what you did."

"What I did!?"

"You aren't worth forgiving though." He said at long last.

"You ruined that child, and everything else you were involved with. I held out thinking that if you came back things would be different, but they weren't. Not for that boy, and not for his father. I never should have come here. I should have just stayed away and forgotten about you and seeing those two happy. Maybe then I wouldn't hate you anymore." Then Three turned away as well and she was left standing there with a dumbfounded expression on her face, not understanding just what was going on anymore.

Nothing made any sense!

For the rest of the first day there was nothing. Nothing that was any cause of worry other then the heart ache that most of them were feeling. Four and five were feeling rather awkward about the whole situation to be honest, and were muttering to themselves about how completely terrible this whole situation was in the first place.

Two and Three talked to each other softly for the most part, and Kiril tended to keep towards them more then anyone else. Still, as time passed...he stopped talking to everyone and just rested his head against the wall and stayed there in silence. He didn't look or speak to anyone, he just stayed perfectly still.

Anna stole a few glances at him in worry, knowing that time was running out for him and also knowing that there was nothing that they could do about it. She didn't even have any equipment to test to see what the poison could be. It was a simple matter of the fact that she honestly had no clue what was going on in that boy's physiology.

Three caught her looking over towards him once and he glowered at her, instantly looking in the other direction. He was a little pissed off at her, and for the life of her she couldn't understand why. Perhaps it was because shed reprimanded him about talking to Kiril like his own son. Still though, in the end, he wasn't his father. He didn't have any right to talk to that boy and confuse him like that! That wasn't fair to him!

She stubbornly was refusing to apologize too. She didn't want anything to do with that bastard anyway. She would much rather talk to Two...who was currently ignoring her for all he was worth. He didn't want to talk to her any more then Three did, and that made her heart burn slightly. Now everyone she cared for was ignoring her. Sounds like nothing was going her way.

After a day and a half or so though, there was little anyone was caring about as they watched the suddenly rapid decline of the teenager. It started with something small. As Kiril sat in the corner, his hand slowly started to reach up and rub at his eyes. Ten minutes later he was at it again, rubbing at them and trying to get them to stop bothering him.

Anna hadn't seen it the first time, but Three had, and as he watched the teenager in stony silence, he turned towards Two and motioned for him to go check on the boy. The other nodded and quickly moved to his side.

"You alright kid?" he asked softly as he placed his hand on the boy's forehead. Brown eyes glanced up at him and he stared at them, disbelieving for a moment. They were completely bloodshot. He felt his blood freeze as he took the boy's hands in his. "Hey...I need you to stop rubbing at your eyes."

"Two?" He glanced backwards at where Anna had finally seen what was happening.

"I'm fine." Kiril snapped, his voice like ice. The woman recoiled, and Three sighed. This was going to get them nowhere.

"Michaels, you have water in the desk right?" He asked suddenly, and the man looked at him.

"Yes, but shouldn't we-"

"I'd rather we didn't, if anything he can have mine. Toss a bottle over would you?" The man nodded and did so. Three crouched before the teenager and leaned forwards to whisper something in the boy's ear. The teen nodded as a response and his mouth opened slightly. The bottle changed hands and the boy sipped at it greedily. "Don't drink all of it." He warned softly, and the boy stopped at the words.

Seven hours later though, a slight tremor was racing through his body and he was shivering uncontrollably only an hour after that. Two held the boy to his chest, stroking his hair lightly while Three tried to force him to drink more water. The other pilots had started to congregate around the boy, trying to see if there was anything that they could do.

After another hour had passed, Kiril was latched around Anna's waist as she tried to comfort him, Two was holding him down as he thrashed violently, his skin deathly pale as he turned this way and that. Only five hours after that did he fall frighteningly still. His eyes staring wide up at the ceiling, completely incapable of movement at all. He could just manage to look upwards and cry out the few tears that he had left.

So it was inevitable, that by the time Senior came for them; the pilots, Anna, and Michaels were sufficiently subdued and willing to cooperate. He laughed at the change of display. Who knew a little dehydration, starvation, and a dying teenager could keep this bunch at bay?

He pulled out the antidote and gave it to the boy who even if he didn't want it couldn't seem to vocalize that opinion. (Not that anyone would let him carry out that opinion).

Once again, they were running out of time and they were even deeper ensnared in this bastard's hold.


	23. The Best Laid Plans

**Windstar: **Quite a bit longer then what I originally intended, but I felt like it was important to see Adeline's side of the story for a little while so you have an idea as to what's happening on her end while all of this is going on. You'll find out more about her in a few chapters but for now it's a little teaser. This chapter is **very **gory at some parts. Please be warned. Thank you!

**Disclaimer: **Same as always.

**Chapter Twenty-Two:**

As such idiosyncrasies are in life, there comes a time when everything does not go according to plan. In fact, there are times when everything is so unbelievably fucked up that not only has the plan not been followed but it's been re-written entirely. The end result was not what was expected or hoped for and in fact was the last possible occurrence that could be wished for. Over the years the plan has always had the same basic plot line but it was ironic just how often things went wrong.

First and foremost: Mikhail had been killed by Bryan. The plan that they were all going to make it out of this was thrown out the window on that account. Of course, Mikhail didn't actually blame Bryan for it (and he had come back to life so in truth the plan could have been followed in all actuality). No one blamed Bryan for it. It was just one of the problems that occurred along the path to redemption. Mikhail had always been a close friend and ally of the now called Officers of the Fortune Five Hundreds, although his motives were not always clear. Still, his death was never hoped for and that plan was shot the second that the bullet embedded itself in his skull.

Secondly: Anna Jones had just up and left leaving everyone miles behind and taking her unborn child with her. That threw the wrench right into the FUBAR that everyone was already experiencing. It screwed up the plan for a happy and healthy life of ease and it made everyone it effected's lives a living hell. Tala and Kiril should have grown up being closer and friendlier then they eventually did. Kiril should have at least had a mother figure with him during his formative years (preferably someone who wasn't dead [Marina] or a runaway [Anna] or a trying too hard aunt [Adeline])

Moving right along, Kai and Adeline really should have been able to live together peacefully and happily, but in fact at that very moment Senior Ottilia had sent out a search party to look for his pretty bride. The French Police were quite alarmed when they arrived at the Napoleon family estate to find a fire raging across the cultured stonework. No one was harmed in the blaze but the message was clear to the two parents who were anxiously and nervously waiting to hear anything from their daughter who had dropped off the face of the Earth after the attack on the school.

Of course, Madam Napoleon was more then happy to think that it was all Kai's fault (which it could have been since it was the reason why her daughter was involved), and that relationship was certainly going to fail because of it. Kai had been a sweet kid and she'd not minded him being around her daughter before they got married, but after the fact he was the devil incarnate and she wanted little better then to denounce him every chance she got. Then again she would be the first to say that Adeline could not divorce him because that wasn't religiously appropriate. It was a catch-22 that she hated but would live with until her dieing day.

Still, after the fire on the estate became public knowledge, it hadn't taken long for the blonde Princess to call home in desperation to know if everyone was alright. It wasn't exactly the way that her parents wanted to get her attention but the effect worked all the same. They were happy to hear from her and to inquire after the babies who they hadn't seen since she had vanished into hiding.

"Are you alright?" The girl had asked frantically for starters, and her father had been the one to calm her down.

"Yes dear, we're fine. How are you and the children?"

"We're well. We're staying-"

"Not over the phone." He cautioned, and she hesitated all the same.

"Should we not talk here...could it be traced back?"

"It's likely, just a few more moments. You're certain you're okay? You and the babes?"

"Yes, they're doing fine...it's just..."

"What is it dear?"

"Nothing for certain, but I haven't spoken to Kai in weeks..." Her voice was unsteady, it was more then that.

"He's been out of contact for that long?" Screw if it was being traced, the worry in his voice was obvious. He ignored his wife's scowl of disapproval. She would never understand just how much of a hero that Sacha Ivanov was at times. She could never understand the intricacies of what he did for a living.

"Yes, and just last night...well...it's..."

"What? What happened?"

"His bitbeasts..." She whispered at long last. "Both of them, they're here with me...and I don't know how they got here..." Time froze, and that was when Prince Napoleon of France was forced to face the reality that perhaps his wife could get her wish after all. Kai never parted from his bitbeasts, and if they were with Adeline and not with him...there was a very good possibility that he was dead. Adeline seemed to have realized that fact already despite the brave face she was putting up. She was ever hopeful that she was wrong, that she didn't understand enough about that world to be able to comment. Yet she was staying with people who would understand. She was staying with people who _could _tell her the truth. If his bitbeasts were with her, then it wasn't because of some accident or overprotective purpose...it was something far darker.

"I don't know what that means." Her father told her gently. "But I'm certain someone would have contacted you if something had happened. They're very...thorough on that." She nodded vaguely to herself, knowing he couldn't see her or the tears that were still rolling down her cheeks. "Where are they now?" He continued, forcing himself to ask the question that would determine the definite answer in his mind.

"The twins have them...they're the ones who I found them with. One for each of them..." Her voice was so quiet he almost missed the last few words. It didn't matter though, it was clear what had happened. If they had bequeathed themselves upon the twins at this young of an age it meant one thing: they'd chosen new masters. Kai wasn't their master any longer. He had either decided to stop or he had died. Those were the only options available.

"Addy-"

"I have to go." Her voice was firm. _I do not believe this. _The hidden message was clear. Until she saw a body she would not believe her husband's death. She would not believe that everything was going to be over. She couldn't believe that. She couldn't let herself believe that. It was hurting her too much. "I love you daddy, mother. I'll call you again later." Then she definitively hung up the phone and fell into a pile of tears on the floor.

She sobbed for near half an hour, her heart broken into thousands of pieces as she clutched the phone to her chest. With it was her left hand where her rings were borne with pride on her chosen finger. She wept painfully and harshly, her mind trying to refuse everything about the scenario to convince herself that things were going to be alright. Things _had _to be alright. If they weren't then he didn't know what she would do. She couldn't imagine raising her children without Kai.

She managed to push herself back to her feet and walk towards where the twins were taking their noon time nap. Her hands reached out shakily and touched their sweet little heads. She still was crying, but she managed to do so with dignity and uttered no sounds as she watched over the only things she had left from her husband. Everything else had been lost in the fire that had destroyed their home. Everything else had been washed away with all the rest of the misery and the discomfort of their situation.

She heard footsteps behind her, and she turned to look up at the man who's home she was living in now that she had been sent into hiding. Tyson Granger had been there for their family for years, and now he had stepped up to the plate once more. After their plane had landed in Tokyo, he had quickly gathered all of the F-Fives and had brought them to his dojo. He settled the girl and her twins into a room down the hall from him, and then worked out a strange sleeping arrangement that used up much of the dojo's practice floor. Tents had been erected in the back yard and every spare room in the home was dedicated to keeping them all together.

He'd organized a schooling fund and had gotten all of the boys into the public education system within the first two weeks. One thing was certain: This man was capable of doing miracles sometimes. He certainly had grown up over the years and the responsibility that was shown from him during this time had been most helpful. Adeline wasn't sure she'd know what to do with herself it it wasn't for him. He had been there for her so kindly and compassionately that she owed him so much. Not only that, but his girlfriend (a firecracker named Hillary Tachibana) had been a much needed woman during the times that she desperately needed to talk to someone.

They spoke often and she had helped with the babies and in just things that women needed to handle. One such time had been when Adeline had anxiously gone to her on her second night and just desperately whispered (flushed face and all) that she needed to borrow a pad and that she was terribly sorry that she'd forgotten to pack one! Hillary had laughed and thought nothing of it, and the next day they had gone to the store to buy things that were a necessity. Living with all those boys had become something of a routine by now, but even back at the school Adeline had had somethings that enabled her to still feel like a woman. She still had her special shampoo and conditioner that she had told Kai, politely of course, that he was under no circumstances allowed to touch under pain of death. He had respected her wishes always with a smile and an agreeable nod of the head and had moved on to the other bath products.

Clothing would have been a nightmare without the other there to help her, and as much as Adeline was fluent in Russian she was equally as disastrous in Japanese as she had been when she first started learning her husband's mother tongue. Navigating her way through the country had been hell for several weeks before she had a friend who was more then willing to help. Hillary spoke english and it was the only other language that Adeline was passable in, and she didn't know what she would have done without her.

Tyson had been the leader that the boys needed, and Hillary had been the friend that Addy had been craving for. Together they were a powerhouse team, and it helped ease the situation somewhat. After the arrival of the two Dranzers though, there was nothing that could be done to console her of the fact that she knew in her heart that her beloved husband was dead. She was crying at the simplest things all the time, and it was getting increasingly more difficult to hide the fact that she was so distraught from the ever watching boys of the Abbey that would pick up on the signals and start believing it too if she let them.

Granger stepped closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. His eyes were filled with worry, and she appreciated the action despite how she felt at the moment. "Addy? You doing alright?" He whispered softly. She shook her head, keeping her gaze locked on her babies.

"I think I made a mistake." She said as she watched Niko suck passionately on his fist in his sleep.

"What do you mean?" He asked her lightly.

"I told my father about the bitbeasts on the phone...if someone was listening...they'll come after the twins right?" That was a thought that both terrified and mortified the young parent. She couldn't imagine someone coming to kill or take her children from her. It would kill _her _she was certain.

"I won't let them." He told her firmly. She looked to him for a moment, and nodded ever so slowly. Then her face set in grim determination.

"Tyson, I hesitate to ask more from you, but there's something that I want to do. Can you help me?"

"What is it?" He asked her gently.

"I want to start to rebuild the school.I want there to be a home for them to come back to." Tyson nodded.

"Then lets get to it."

Perhaps the biggest flaw in the plan was the fact that Kai was dead. Yet in all actuality things happened in a way that could not easily be explained. Before all of the trouble with the bitbeasts and the fire in the castle, and the fear of harm to the babies, everything started with a simple fall from his stair case thousands of miles away.

Mikhail felt like the wind had gotten punched out of him. His eyes were glued onto the sight of the two people at the bottom of the stairs. Adrien's head was tucked protectively to Kai's chest, and the man's arms encircled the young one so that he wasn't harmed. That was where the problem was. That was the big problem. That was where the plan had failed completely and perfectly in a way that only such a simple could fail. That was where everything had gone to hell and back and had caused the butterfly effect. That was where everything had collapsed and all the dreams and hopes and wishes were upturned into a horrid mess that would never be satisfied with anything less then chaos.

Any other day, Kai would have fallen with his chin ducked to his own chest and his arms around his head. He would take the broken arms and legs any day, but that's how he'd been trained to fall. For years that was how he'd practiced his falls, anything that protected that fragile part of his body would work. He'd done it every day for months while he was in the Abbey and again while he was working with the ISA. The ISA trained their operatives in such things and the Abbey was just cruel. There was always the chance of someone pushing someone else down a stair case and so one learned quickly how to avoid too much injury. Falling in any other manner was completely unacceptable and foolish. He was too well trained to not do that…unless he was protecting someone.

When he'd fallen, he'd known that Adrien would be pulled along with him. He'd been struggling to walk and he was leaning heavily against his foster son for quite some time to not know it. He had never been more aware of anything in his life then in that one moment. So, as they'd experienced temporary weightlessness while the world rubbed its greedy hands together in anticipation, he took hold of the boy and made sure that _he'd_ be safe because Adrien _didn't _know how to fall. The result wasn't pretty.

Mikhail couldn't take his eyes off of them. His heart felt like it had stopped once more. He felt cold and emotionless and his heart burned. He knew the moment that he stared at the scene below that there was little to no chance of Kai surviving. Even if he had he would have bled to death from the bullets that had torn through his body. In fact, he was probably dead before he even broke his neck and the only pity was that Kai had felt the bullets before his spine had severed his pain receptors.

Still, Mikhail couldn't help but replace the body of his younger brother with a much _much _younger version of the heir. A version that was covered in whip marks and staring up with the same eyes that were cutting wounds into his heart. A version that had been surprising to see the first time but was even more gruesome now that it was added together with the other injuries. In truth, Mikhail had no idea why he even volunteered to go to the Abbey after he'd seen Luka and Sacha return. He'd seen their wounds but that apparently didn't register with him. Perhaps he wanted revenge, perhaps he wanted to know if they deserved it. Now that he was staring at this scene though, he knew that he should have just said no to Boris all those years ago. Their parents wouldn't have been killed, Kai and Tala would never have gone back to the Abbey, and to make a long story short: he wouldn't be staring at the body of this boy that he had known ever since he'd been born.

Sacha's eyes were staring up at the ceiling in shock, and his neck was completely at the wrong angle. So much so that there was only one thing that made sense as to what his current status was. The distinct lack of a rise and fall of his chest only added to that conclusion. His neck was broken, and while there _could _have been a chance for him to survive…with the rest of his injuries it was obvious that there was no way he would be able to survive.

In his arms, Adrien was frozen. He possibly didn't know what had happened just yet. He was just laying there completely still and motionless as though someone was going to rip him away from the man he'd held so much love and respect for his entire life. He could even have been waiting for Kai to respond, to push himself up, shake himself off, and say that everything was alright. The plan continued to go wrong from there on wards. There was nothing that could have fixed it in truth, but this wasn't the way that it was going to get back on track that was for sure.

Adrien didn't move, he just lay there, in complete shock and horror. Mikhail could see the slight tremors running through his body. He was laying still, but it was almost as though his mind was starting to try to process what was happening…it was running slow lately – but right now it was trying to put things together_ damn it!_

"Adrien?" Mikhail murmured softly. The boy had started to shake more now, his fractured mind starting to put the pieces together. Kai still wasn't moving, his arms were dead weight on his body. Very dead weight. He didn't understand it. He couldn't piece together what was happening around him. His breath started to come out in short gasps as he waited painfully for someone to say what was going on. He needed to know what was happening!

"Kai?" He finally whispered, slowly pulling away from the heir's hold. Kai's arms fell limply to the ground, he hadn't bothered to move them back to his chest. He would have right? He would have wanted to hold his chest for a moment to make sure everything was alright. He would have reached up to touch Adrien's face right? He would have done something! Anything!

Kai's eyes just stared upwards though, never flinching, never moving. Just staying perfectly still. There wasn't even a small glint of the energy and passion that there usually was. There wasn't even a trace of the adrenaline rush that had happened earlier. There was nothing except for the cold dark silence of a death that was quickly becoming inevitable to behold. Adrien was terrified at the sight of his friend and father figure laying there in such stony silence.

"Adrien-"

"Kai!" The boy reached out and shook the man's shoulders, forcing the body to turn this way and that. All the while, the man didn't wake up and his eyes just stared up. Even like this his eyes were piercing. They were all but ordering him to run…even though they had no life or energy behind that order. "Kai! Kai! Kai!" He moved to the man's head, slapping the pale cheek over and over again. Yet when one of the man's cuts tore open, no blood pushed out from the wound. It was almost as if it was just pooling there under the surface and had no need to drain out at this angle.

Terrified, he rolled the good commander onto his back and started to feel for a pulse. There wasn't one. His heart pounded heavily in his head as he counted down to the CPR site and started to do compressions. Mikhail felt his heart literally breaking as he stared at his son who was trying desperately to have this all be just a bad dream. All the while, the boy was sobbing, begging the dead man to come back.

"Adrien…he's gone…he won't wake up like that." He said gently as he slowly started to make his way towards them. A crowd had started to form, some of the children from the Abbey who had been able to follow were staring at the scene in dumb horror. No one knew what to say. How could they know what to say? Their dear commander, friend, father, leader, accomplice…everything! He was dead! Their good friend was dead!

A few people from the Temple were watching the scene with mild interest, wondering what was going to happen next. It was obvious that if the boy tried to run again, he wouldn't get very far. No one was even attempting to pull him away from Kai's corpse though. They wanted to see what would happen..they wanted to watch the child's suffering. All the while, Senior couldn't help but grin. Everything was going just the way he wanted it; he couldn't be happier.

The teenager wasn't listening though. His mind was refusing to accept Kai's death. To him, everyone was just making this up. Kai was still alive and there was nothing anyone could say to him to make him think differently. He needed Kai to be alive, if he wasn't alive he didn't know what he was supposed to do anymore. He was lost and afraid and he didn't know how he'd be able to get his feet back on the ground. He had so much that he needed to learn and do! Kai needed to see him! He had to be there! Kai was so important to everything that he'd ever done in his life! This wasn't fair! He needed Kai to wake up! He needed him too!

"Adrien…he's dead. He broke his neck." Mikhail had managed to get to his boy's side. He crouched down low, looking him in the eye. His hands reached out and stopped the boy's frantic attempts at starting Kai's heart. All he was doing now was pushing blood out of the cuts on Kai's face. That was it. There was no life resuscitation. There was nothing. Nothing at all. Kai Hiwatari was dead.

"No! He can't be! He's not allowed to be! We have to go! We have to leave! He said we were leaving! He said we could go home! He has to wake up to go home!" Adrien was a mess, he couldn't stop himself from crying, and he couldn't do anything except weep harder and harder. He felt like the world was falling apart around him. Kai couldn't be dead! He couldn't! He wasn't allowed to die!

All the while Senior laughed louder and louder. Mikhail felt his fists clench as he looked up and stared at the man who thought that this all was some kind of joke. The bastard was just laughing and laughing. The multiple Abbey boys that had been taken from their school, their homes, their jobs, wherever, every single one of them felt hatred run through their veins. Kai was their leader! No one was allowed to disrespect his death!

"The great Kai Hiwatari…felled by a stair case." Senior snorted as he looked at the corpse of the once charming and pleasant heir. His face was already starting to pale considerably and his lips were beginning to tinge blue slightly. The signs of death were already upon him. Pallor mortis had set in.

"Shut up!" One of the boys shouted, but they were instantly silenced by a quick strike to the head. Everyone's blood was boiling, but no one dared say a word. As the man approached, Mikhail put an arm around his son's shoulders, forcing him behind him and away from the body. Adrien struggled slightly, but Mikhail held him firm.

The boy couldn't stay attached to the corpse for the rest of his life. He was going to need to take a breather and step aside sooner or later. Senior kept walking towards them; that grin plastered on his face. He completely disregarded Mikhail's attempts to keep Adrien away, and instead just maintained forced eye contact with the child.

"You can bring him back you know." He said simply, looking at the boy with a grin. Adrien's mouth fell open as his shoulders shook from the tears.

"What?" He asked in awe.

"Don't listen to him." Mikhail hissed as he continued to force the boy farther away.

"You're Vita's chosen one. You can use her to bring your little friend there back to life. How do you think your father ended up the way he is now? We used her DNA to revive him. It took us years to perfect him, but we managed the process. You can do it in the blink of an eye. You just need to ask Vita." Adrien's fingers reached into his pocket unconsciously and held up the bitchip for a brief moment. He could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"Bring…Kai…back?" Adrien's head was spinning. That's what this was all about? A bitbeast that could bring back the dead? They used it to bring Mikhail back thinking they could make him blade with her, but it wouldn't recognize him as being a worthy user despite the fact that it had revived him.

"Yes. It will work just brilliantly I think. Why don't you try it? It couldn't hurt." He motioned towards the corpse, but Mikhail spun around suddenly and caught his son by the shoulders.

"Don't do it. You don't want to bring Kai back. I know you're hurting right now, I know how close he was to you, but don't do it!"

"Why?" The boy didn't understand. He wanted Kai alive, he needed Kai alive. He didn't want to see a world without Kai in it. Kai was his family! The only one who had really been able to know how to take care of him for all those year! Why couldn't Kai be with him? Why couldn't Kai stay alive? As much as he'd always wished for Mikhail to be back – he'd been _gone _for the past decade! Kai had been there! Adrien may have always wanted his father with him, but Kai was as close to a parent as he'd ever gotten.

"You don't want to condemn him to this life Adrien…you don't understand what it's like." Mikhail whispered softly.

"I-" Senior laughed just then, he was standing next to Kai's body and all eyes snapped to him. No one could have guessed what would have happened next. He simply raised his gun and aimed it straight at Adrien and Mikhail and fired without thinking.

Adrien screamed out in horror when his father crumpled at his feet, blood soaking the floor from the bullet wound in his head. Now he too was dead. The boys around them were screaming, shouting, struggling to break free. No one was able to do so though, they were all forced to watch this slow decline of that young child's mental status.

Tears were flooding down his face, mingling with the blood of his father that had splattered during his demise. He shook his head as though trying to deny that too. He backed up unconsciously, his back hitting the wall behind him. Both people that he loved as fathers were dead and they had both died because of him.

He couldn't keep himself focused; he was struggling harder and harder just to stand upright! Senior smirked and started towards him. All the while he had that sick grin on his face. It was only a matter of time. Anyone could see that. With both of them dead, it was only a matter of time before Adrien finally cracked and willed them alive.

"Now…you have a choice of course. I can just leave these two like this and you can go back to your cell – knowing that if you don't do this I'm going to murder each and every one of your little classmates, or you can bring them back and I'll promise you_ I_ won't harm anyone of your friends or family as long as you stay here with me."

At fifteen years old, Adrien was too young and too fragile to understand what was happening. To him, it didn't matter if the world was destroyed. Right then and there his world had been destroyed. Kai and Mikhail were dead. His school friends were on the butcher's block. Tala was most likely dead. Kiril was missing and God-knows where. Bryan, Spencer, and Ian were MIA. Their home was destroyed. What else could possibly have gone wrong?

So the answer was simple. He was selfish.

Raising his eyes he met Senior's gaze, tears were still streaming, but in a very level voice, he whispered the name of his bitbeast. The angel of death appeared without warning, her beautiful face and mismatched wings flashing brilliantly before them all. She looked at her charge questioningly and when he looked up at her, there was never any doubt at all as what he wanted to happen.

_Are you sure? _The angel asked softly as it looked down at him. He looked up at her and his father's words echoed through his head. Something about him not understanding what this life was like.

Still, he wasn't going to be the cause of everyone's death. He couldn't live like that. He wouldn't live like that. He would rather die himself then see the people he cared about killed in such a ruthless manner. That wasn't life. That was hell.

"Yes." He whispered brokenly.

A light filled the room, and before his very eyes, he watched as the blood from the floor pick up and slowly moved back into his father's head. The hole was healed quickly and efficiently, and slowly yet surely his chest began to rise and fall once more. Dark eyes blinked open slowly as he tried to focus himself, but Adrien was already moving from Mikhail to Kai.

The man's neck was slowly healed and all the other injuries on him were eradicated as well. As he lay there on the ground, it looked like he was just sleeping peacefully. He was breathing normally again, and he too after a few moments blinked back into awareness with a shuddering gasp of confusion. His red eyes looked up and he visibly flinched at the sight of the angel.

_You who do not belong in this world may no longer communicate with spirits. You have been stripped of your powers and while you live, you may not be saved from disasters as you had in the past. The secrets which have been bestowed upon your mind are not for you to share and if you do, I will be the one to deliver you into the gates of hell!_

The beautiful face was contorted and terrifying to behold, and Kai felt his heart pound painfully in his chest as he tried to understand what was going on. In his heart though he felt as though something was missing. He felt as though everything was all wrong. His body didn't feel right. It felt like he'd been slid into place backwards and was rubbing against all the wrong edges. Everything felt wrong! His very skin was tingling as though it was angry with him. He sat up, his body shivering violently as he tried to focus the spinning in his head and the cold _cold _air that was biting into him. He was freezing.

_Dranzer?_ He called out instinctively. There was no reply. None whatsoever. Not even a reply from Black Dranzer who lived within him. He felt tears start to form in his eyes. He couldn't understand what was happening, he didn't even know where he was anymore. What the hell was going on?! Where was he?!

"Kai!?" He looked passed the angel and stared at Adrien and Mikhail. Mikhail too looked a little worse for wear. He didn't seem to be able to keep himself upright. He just teetered slightly as though struggling to steady himself.

"I-" He was shaking painfully now, and his arms reached up to rub his skin. Awkwardly he looked around him. Boys from the Abbey were staring at him in horror. They couldn't believe their eyes. He'd just been brought back from the dead!

A hand clapped down on his shoulder and he flinched once more and looked up at the bastard who had touched him. Senior Ottilia was grinning down to him. He leaned over, laughter audible as he sat looked into his eyes.

"Welcome to the Revival Club, Kai." A snap echoed through the room, and suddenly a hand roughly grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. They let out from under him, but he was forced to stay upright.

"Wha-what are you doing!? What are you doing let him go!" Adrien screamed as he ran forwards, Senior shot out and caught him by the shirt.

"You don't give orders here boy. I said that _I_ wouldn't harm them. I never said anything about anyone else doing anything to them."

"Bastard!" But he didn't get another word out. He was struck heavily in the temple and he crumbled. A guard hurried forwards and took him away, carrying him up the stairs and away from this bloody scene. Mikhail looked like he was still trying to orient himself, his heart shattering in his chest. Senior just laughed.

"So…what does it feel like to be brought back for a second time?" He teased and dark eyes just looked up at him blankly, before he fell into a cold faint. "I'll take that as a 'good.'" The man sighed and rolled his eyes.

And in the end, the plan was royally fucked.


	24. The Cost of Living

**Windstar: **Thanks again to my wonderful reviewers, I love you all! From this point onwards things start getting a bit better. There's a lot less misery and angst in the next few chapters, and for the forseeable future there's only really a handful of tragic ones before things get bright and sunny for the rest of this story. Roughly ten chapters left, and OHC is being a bit revamped. I'm not too keen on posting it, but if it does come out I'll be sure to have a preview posted as the "epilogue" of this story so that it's known when it will be released.

Thanks again!

**Disclaimer: **Same

**Chapter Twenty-Three:**

Tala Ivanov stared at Senior Ottilia for a long while. His eyes bore into the man as he glowered hatefully towards him. He was not happy. It had been almost two months since he'd last seen Kiril, or anyone for that matter. From his own hacks into the Temple's system he knew that they were all alive and somewhat well, but it wasn't the same as actually seeing them face to hadn't been able to get himself out of his cell and on the move for quite some time and he hadn't had the opportunity to speak to his family members since Kiril had almost died. It had been, in short, some of the worst two months of his life.

Senior didn't seem to mind though. He was quite happy and content to let the redhead stew for a while. Though he really didn't have time to rest on his laurels. He was under more fire then ever before, and Russia and Saudi Arabia both had started to figure out that his workings were causing mayhem. Who would have thought that the reason why he was having so much trouble recently was actually because of someone that wasn't even dead anymore?

It hadn't taken long for the world to realize that Kai Hiwatari had suddenly gone missing, and just like the man in question had asked Mikhail all those months ago- his secretary _had _in fact noticed his disappearance. Coupled with the attack on the school now it was doubly important for the mess to be taken care of in the countries' eyes. They formed a one time unique union and were all but bombing the Temple of Fates. Trying to figure out a way out of this mess was more stressful then ever before, and his original plan had been thrown out the window indefinitely. Everything had gone to shits for him, as it seemed that only a proper plan could do.

"How's life treating you old man?" Tala sneered, glaring at the bastard easily enough. The man clenched his fists. He'd called this meeting for a number of reasons. The first and foremost being the fact that they were still not getting anywhere with the Black Dranzer program.

He'd been very surprised to find out that the same day that Kai had died, Tala had also died in the server. It had been through the luck of electric shock that his heart was restarted and he was brought back. He hadn't found any of this out until four days after the fact when he'd gone to brag about how he'd brought them all to their knees because of a bit of poison. Kiril's life was saved, and he discovered that his one shining ray of home in the BD Server was practically useless. Anna's caution foretelling the hackers' deaths was now seeming more and more plausible and he realized truthfully: he didn't have enough _time_ to do what he needed to do. Now as he sat here across from the redhead he couldn't help but feel as though they'd somehow planned for this all to happen the whole time. He couldn't help but wonder how he'd been ruined by succeeding in the plan that he'd made.

"Black Dranzer." Tala smiled charmingly up at him as the words left his mouth.

"Yes?"

"Where is she?" The incorrigible man could only grin wider.

"Haven't the foggiest. I knew a few months ago...but now I really don't have any clue." That was the answer that he had been afraid of. The terrifying possibility that he'd fucked up royally never left his head. How could he plan something so perfectly, have the plan executed properly, and still have failed?! "Black Dranzer was trapped within Kai's body, and a part of her soul was trapped in mine as well. When you killed him though...you unleashed that soul and you made her rebirth herself wherever she saw fit. Black Dranzer is no longer our _spiritual adviser_ if you will, and because of our subsequent deaths...she no longer exists to us."

Senior grit his teeth. That wasn't what he wanted! That wasn't what he wanted! Those bastards! He needed Black Dranzer if he was going to make the servers work to their full capacity. Now she was gone. He knew that Tala was telling the truth too. There was no way he wasn't. His hacks had changed dramatically since Black Dranzer had left him. Where before it seemed obvious that he was pretending, now he actually looked like he was struggling to control the system.

That wasn't his only problem. Kai Hiwatari was becoming the biggest pain in the ass former dead man that ever walked the earth. Instantly brought back to life and looking better then he had in almost three months, Kai for some reason could barely function on the level of a normal human. He'd be lucky if he'd be able to tie his shoes by next year at the rate he was fact, last Senior knew, the brat was still drooling on himself in a corner somewhere.

Mikhail even seemed to be slower then usual. It was the only reason that Senior hadn't forced Adrien to bring his son back to life yet. Both Kai and Mikhail were walking around like zombies, and ever since the boy had brought them back he'd been sitting in a corner with his hands over his ears like there was some big loud noise that was going to burst his ear drums coming. Anytime someone went up to him he'd start screaming as loud as he could and if you hit him or touched him he'd scream louder and louder. Eventually they just started to keep him sedated half the time. There was little more they could do.

It was Kai who was the real problem though. He was a world wide celebrity and everyone knew who he was. The moment he'd dropped off the face of the earth everyone was looking for him. International organizations were trying to find him and HE was running a full scale earch in an effort to try to pinpoint his exact location. It didn't take long for people to put two and two together.

Kai disappeared around the same time the school was destroyed and so he must have been kidnapped from the school. All eyes turned to Saudi Arabia who did not want that type of press and welcomed in the UN and any other organization intent on finding was that union that was making his life hell, and it was making everything fail in a bucket of burning ash.

It didn't take too long for them to figure out that the Temple of Fates was the problem, and now every day was a talk with the UN. Things were getting bad and with Black Dranzer gone he had little hope of even controlling the servers. The hackers still did what he said because it was the only way to keep Kiril alive, but he was soon realizing that unless he got Kai to act like a normal person again he wasn't going to be able to do anything else.

Which is why he brought Tala in. The one person everyone believed knew and understood Kai the best was sitting right across from him, but to ask him for help was something that was boggling his mind. So it came down to orders and threats and the other thing they were doing to keep Kiril and foremost though, he wanted to find out more about Black Dranzer. He wanted to know everything that this obnoxious redhead had on her. He wanted all the details.

He reached over on his desk and opened a folder that he'd had prepared for this meeting. His fingers traced through the paper until he eventually found the particular document that he was looking for. He pulled out the photograph and handed it to the upstart before him without so much as saying a word. The young Commander took it silently and glanced at it.

"So?" Was all he had to say on the topic.

"That woman is Kai's wife." Senior hissed, bothered by the fact he had to explain it at all. The blonde girl was young and beautiful.

"And the Princess of France, I think I'm failing to see how this is going to win you any friends. If you want to threaten him, by all means go attack France-"

"I already have." _That _got the reaction that he wanted. It was subtle, but it was there. Those blue eyes turned icy cold for a moment and it was clearer then day that he'd severely pissed him off. "That cozy palacial estate of theirs went up in flames."

"Are you just a political idiot or do you actually _want _to start a war with every country on this planet?" Tala snickered lightly.

"No one was harmed, it was simply a warning."

"Sure, whatever." The man scowled and grit his teeth.

"Where is she now?"

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you?" Tala asked sweetly, his smile growing a bit.

"I'll-"

"If you kill Kiril, the hackers wont listen to you and I can promise you I certainly have no need to bother with you. If you kill Adrien your son doesn't come back. If you kill Kai, you're digging yourself a deeper hole."

"I have Mikhail-"

"Who I haven't seen or spoken to in years, last I heard he was _dead._ So lets cut the crap, you're not going to do anything. You're going to have to accept you lost that round. Adeline is safe and you're not going to find her. So lets move on to a more practical matter. You want me to help you figure out what's wrong with Kai because _you _fucked him up." Those words were spoke with scathing hate, and it was clear that he wasn't in the least bit amused by the fact that his brother had been tormented so badly. When Ottilia said nothing, it was clear that he had conceded defeat. "I want to see Adrien." Tala said easily enough and the bastard had the gall to glare at him.

"No."

"If I don't see Adrien I'm not going to get through to Kai with anything. What am I supposed to say to him? He has nothing that he holds dear to him as much as that boy, and if I can talk to him about Adrien he'll listen to me more then if I talk to him about the weather. I need to see Adrien for my own two eyes. I'm not going to sabotage your stupid plan, but I need to see my nephew."

"You don't need to see anything you stupid fool."

"Then Kai's as good as insane and you'd be better off if you just killed him." The cold words made the man pause for a second. He hesitated just long enough for Tala to know he'd won again. The plan ws still crumbling it seemed. He stood up and ran a hand through his hair. "I also want to talk to Anna." At that, the man frowned.

"No."

"I'll wear my mask I'll be in my cell – you can chain me for all I care, but I want to talk to Anna. There's something I need to discuss with her."

"No, what could you possibly have to discuss with her?"

"The fact that she's a shitty mother comes to mind, but I don't think that rates highly on the list of things that I need to talk to her about."

"You do this, you make Kai normal again, and I'll find the time to have her talk to you. Not before."

"Sir yes sir." He mocked easily. "So where's Adrien?"

* * *

Adrien, as it turned out, was laying flat on his back in a cell staring up at the ceiling. The boys that had been captured in the Abbey, and the boys that had been captured out of the Abbey, were watching over him as though he was the only thing that they had to hold on to. On the few times he was awake they helped him to drink water as he stared dumbly at the world around him, and when he was aware and fully functional, they talked to him just to keep him from falling into the abyss once more. They couldn't help it, but they were worried about him.

Senior had kept true to his word and no one had harmed the now forty odd F-Fives that were left behind when Adrien had activated Vita. All of them were moved into another location. A secure holding cell in which all forty were allowed to rot together. He wasn't going to be responsible if they all died from infection and disease. He still put some food and water out for them, but he didn't do much.

The only reason Adrien had been left with them was because he was so useless at the moment. He thought that once they all started to die off one by one the boy would gladly join him...so far though no one was dying. They were all staying stubbornly alive and he just watched and waited.

They were increasingly wary though. As time passed they learned once again that trusting anyone who was not a member of their school was a mistake. Placing your life in people like the BBASS...like the ISA...that only got them killed. That only got them destroyed. Just like their homes.

For the people who were on the outside of the school, help couldn't come fast enough. By the time they knew that they were being targeted, the news had already reported about the school's attack. They couldn't mobilize...they were trapped. Some people could remember watching their newly found families shot down right before them as they were carried off.

One remembered seeing his baby sister being hit by a car as he was thrown into the van. She was only three. For half of the captured students...their lives had disintegrated. There was no one left to trust, and their world had been turn into ruin. Their carefully constructed peace was stopped just like that. Their hell had been remade. Who could they trust now...when everyone they trusted before betrayed them?

When they heard the doors unlock down the hall, they shrank into the background. Adrien was crouched in the corner of the room. He wasn't sedated any longer...now he was just staring into space as though the world had crashed around him. He was shivering needlessly in the heat. The forty boys and young men shrank back, surrounding the one person they knew could care for them if anything should happen.

They'd all seen the God-like power Adrien had possessed. He'd brought both Kai and Mikhail back from the dead. If they died...he could do it to them as well. Their siblings...their families...their broken homes could all be fixed. All those people...all those people who died could be brought back!

They'd swarmed him when they first saw him again, asking him – begging him – to save them and to bring their families back to life. Perhaps that was when his decline first began. When he was confronted with a world that wanted his power. A power he never wanted.

A power that was driving him insane.

The handle turned on the door to their room, and everyone stared in awe at the sight that stood before him. Adrien didn't bother to look up though. He had no need to. Whoever it was would take what they wanted from him anyway. He wasn't even in control of simple things.

He didn't notice the quiet silence that filled the room, and when the door closed behind whoever it was who'd entered, he didn't bother to care. He was so through with everything that he was done. He was sick and tired of it all...right now...he just wanted to die.

"Tala?" Someone whispered as they stared at the man who'd entered. No one could believe what they were seeing. There stood Tala Ivanov in all his glory. His back straight and his eyes forward. No one could deny it was him...and no one could deny the pure sadness and grief in his gaze as he looked at them all.

Dirty, piss stained, feces ridden boys that had been trapped in that room to die. It was a sight that would haunt him forever. He held an arm out when one of the boys came close, and he hugged the child to his side. He hadn't seen any of these boys when he'd done his security sweeps. Now that he stood before them though, he remembered why he never looked for them.

He didn't want to see his brave boys looking like this.

"Did...did Adrien bring you back too?" One asked as he stared at the Commander in awe. The man shook his head though.

"I never died." He stated evenly as he walked into the center of the room. "I was captured on a mission. Presumed MIA. The night the school was attacked the other Officers were here trying to help me and a few others who were being held captive to escape." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before once again burning this distasteful image into his mind. "I'm so sorry...I should have been there when you were taken...I should have done something better....I never wanted to see any of you like this." His fists were clenched at his sides as he looked over the faces of all the boys that were hurting badly from this event.

Those forty boys that had been so drastically snatched from their homes. His blue eyes took in each of their faces. Each and every one of them.

Jason, Yuli, Merrick, Todd, Hammer, Luke, Ryan, Wilbur, Nicholaus, Peter, Keva, Jenson, Billy, Frank, Dan, Danny, Daniel, Duwayne, Lional, Clark, Sean, Travis, Mark, Mike, Melvin, Harris, Scott, Loyd, Andrew, Andrei, Ganya, Mish, Vadim, Avel, Jasha, Pavlo, Oleg, Filip, Slavik, and Tamryn.

He felt his heart break as he looked at each of their faces. Their names echoed in his mind...and one name of them all made him stare sadly at the quiet and still form of his nephew.

Number forty one....

Adrien Ivanov.

He moved forwards towards him, one hand touching the boy's forehead. He didn't even look up. It was as if he couldn't find the will to care anymore. Tala's eyes scanned the boy's face for any sign of life, and as he looked he caught sight of the glowing bitchip that pressed against his skin. Someone had tied it to a chain and had hung it around the boy's neck like a collar. It made him glower in hatred.

"He hasn't moved...not really...not for months." Pavlo said, and he looked back at the boy.

"Our _management _wants me to talk to him, see if I can get him to talk back...it's the only reason they let me down here. I've been trying to see if you were alright," no need to tell the truth. "This was the only way I could check in on you all..."

"We're fine..." Jason whispered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah...we're fine." Mark added on. "He's the one who's unresponsive...we can barely get him to eat anything...and when those guards come...he screams so loud..."

"I understand..." Tala took the boy's face in his hands, forcing the boy's green eyes to stare into his blue ones. "Hey...Junior." The boy blinked, and to everyone's surprise he actually moved his eyes slightly to get a better look at Tala. "You with me buddy?"

The boys lips were moving slowly yet surely, it was so slight though, that Tala thought he might have missed it if he wasn't staring at the boy so intently. At first he didn't understand, but as the words started to form, voiceless and yet obvious through it all, Tala found himself drawn into whatever it was the boy was trying to say.

_Take me with you, don't leave me here, I'm scared...don't make me bring anyone else back._

"I won't. I promise Adrien." He held the boy's face firm. "I will never force you to do that, do you understand?" The other boys looked at each other in confusion, not understanding. They hadn't seen the secret message.

_Their...families are dead. They want me to bring them back. I can't. Don't make me! _Tears were forming in Adrien's eyes, and Tala nodded to him.

"I won't force you to do anything. They won't either."

_He wants me to bring back people because I killed Kai._

"Kai's not dead Adrien. You didn't kill him." Tala corrected sternly.

"Not...same!" The boy's voice had come back, and Tala let out a sigh of relief. He wasn't too far gone then.

"No you're right, he's very different...but that's not your fault. You didn't kill him. You brought him back to life-"

"Left his soul behind! They said I broke him!" Tears were starting to form and Tala sighed. This was something he couldn't fix by words. This was something only by being with the man could it be solved. He looked around to the other boys and he sighed.

He didn't want to just take Adrien away and leave the rest of these boys to rot. He couldn't feel comfortable doing that, but at the same time he knew he had too. Would they forgive him? How could they...?

He closed his eyes and focused on Tyson's computer. He focused on Bryan's palm pilot. He focused on the computers of all the agencies that were ready to tear the world apart, and he knew then and there that this all needed to stop. At once he sent in the code that signified it was time to move in. At the moment he didn't care about evidence, he didn't care about bringing Anna home, he didn't care about any of that.

He changed the priorities on all of the lists.

Priority One: Forty-two children held captive. Rescue them first.

The drug trade could be going on forever for all he cared about. He just wanted this to end. He was going home. He was going to take these boys home...and if the school wasn't there anymore...he'd make a new one. They weren't going to stay here forever.

"Listen to me...all of you." He started talking in code all of a sudden. His words slipping back and forth from a variety of different languages. Only students with the particular training that they received at the their school could follow the abrupt language changes. "In seven days we're going to get everyone out of here. I need you all to be brave for another seven days. Right now the governments of Russia, Saudia Arabia, and the international community are all aiming an attack on the Temple of Fates...and if you can hold out for another seven days we're all going to go home...together. Can you do that for me?" They nodded, they could do that. "Adrien...they may come after you." He said warningly. The boy looked up at him in silence.

"We won't let them!" Andrew shouted, feeling brave.

"You won't be able to stop them." Tala sighed. "Adrien...seven days...can you hold out for seven more days?" The teen looked at him for a long while.

"The next time I bring someone back...they're going to die." He said softly. Tala took the boy's hands in his own.

"I know that." He said softly as he looked the child clear in the eyes. "I can't keep them from trying to make you do this. I can only promise I will never make you do this." He looked back at the boys around him. "None of you will ask him to bring back a loved one again. Am I understood?" Stunned silence filled the room. Everyone was staring at him in disbelief. What?!

"But...our families-"

"You do not want to bring your families back to this life." Tala hissed. "On your honor as Fortune Five Hundreds, am I understood!?" Quickly they all snapped out a yes sir. He nodded. "Look at me Junior." The green eyes stared up at him trustingly. "I'm going to see Kai...do you want to come with me?" For a brief moment it looked like he'd say no...but then he nodded, and raised his hand up.

"Please?"

Tala nodded and slowly stood up, he put an arm around his nephew's shoulders and slowly started to move towards the door. He pulled it open and when he looked back at the boys he met each and every one of their eyes.

"I'm not going to forget about you. Seven days. I will see you all in seven days." Then the door closed.

* * *

Kai was laying on his back, his arms at his sides as he stared at the ceiling. Everything looked like it was bland and dull and stationary. There was a pain aching through his head and body that he couldn't manage to put on the back burner. He could simply sit there and stare skywards in quiet misery. He was at such a loss as to what it was he should be doing at the moment.

A light filled his room as he lay there, and slowly his head turned to it. Green eyes....brown hair...bright wings and dress, it was the Angel...He felt his heart start to beat faster. She started to draw closer and as she did the pain in his chest started to fade. He gasped slightly and reached out to her. She took his hand.

"W-w-w-w-"

_You're soul was torn apart in heaven. He screwed his eyes shut and she sat on his bed. What do you remember?_ She asked him gently as she reached out her long arms and wrapped them around him. He felt like a child again, but at the moment he really couldn't care. The only thing that he knew was that he felt oddly safe in this creature's arms.

"Mom…dad…Addy...kids..." He sighed slightly, breathing deeply even as his body shivered still. There was nothing that could be done about that. He was going to keep on shivering until his body started to accept that it was still alive. Right now it was throwing a hissy-fit or two and wasn't willing to participate. "God…I felt like I was a kid again…"

_They love you deeply. They're didn't understand what happened. One minute you and Mikhail were there, the next-_

"We were alive again. He…he looked good. Better than he does now."

_He is stretched too thin. When you die, your soul goes to the land beyond. That you already know. If I bring you back though, a part of your soul is permanently trapped there. The land's draw is too powerful to let you go completely. That is the pain you feel now. Your soul has been ripped apart. When you return…you will be complete once more._

_Mikhail has died twice though. I have brought him back in some way shape or form twice. His soul is in tatters and while the pain isn't as great because he's used to it, he will most likely be very low energy from now on. He physically won't be able to exist at the same level he was at beforehand. You too are the same. You've noticed differences, yes?_

"Dranzer won't talk to me. " He whispered; the pain in the words more obvious than anything else.

_She has moved on. You died Kai. You ceased to exist. Truthfully, right now you do not exist. You are simply a living shell of the person you once were. You will never be the same again. Dranzer cannot recognize you as her master. You don't technically even exist any longer._

"Who will she claim then?" He asked, body hurting even more as his mind slumped into depression. The burn on his chest ached and he couldn't help but feel foolish. He had been so stupid. His whole life he'd laughed at fire because it couldn't hurt him. Now though; he knew well enough why people shied away from it so much. Burns hurt!

It had happened once they noticed the cuts on his chest had vanished. Only a few hours after he'd been brought back to life they took that fire iron and branded his chest. At first he was about to tell them to ignore it and go for the knife instead, but then his skin was burning and he was screaming. He squeezed his eyes shut. Don't remember!

_I do not know. Perhaps one of your children. Bitbeasts have a tendency to stay in bloodlines._

Kai frowned for a moment, looking up at her as she stroked some of his hair out of his eyes. He had been wondering something for a long time now. Why was it that she was with Mikhail's family? As far as he could figure, Mikhail didn't even know who his birth mother and father were. He knew that the formerly older man probably remembered his mother, but he was a by-blow and wouldn't know of his father. Even if he did, Mikhail certainly couldn't say where they were or anything like that.

"Why do you stay with Mikhail then? How'd they know that he was your master?"

_Mikhail was never my master, Kai. He was the person that I wanted to be with. _She smiled at him daintily and he felt his head spin.

"I…don't get it."

_I was a human once. I lived a life the same as you not too long ago. I lived and breathed and talked to people. I was just an ordinary girl…my life wasn't pleasant, but it wasn't terrible. I may not have had the most respectable of jobs but I made a living. That is, until I met a man who I fell in love with. She looked away for a moment, face dreamy as she spoke. He was so gentle and kin; and he treated me different from all the rest. So when he told me that he wanted to take me away and give me a life that was good and true and just, I believed him._

_I was pregnant by him…and bore him his son. Only because of that I lost my life, and I never saw my child or Love ever again. I was given a choice then. Due to the nature of my death, someone who had both given life and taken it away at the same time… I was offered the opportunity to be an angel of life and death. To watch over the world and care for it. By taking this task, I could watch my child live and grow and I could always be with my Love. I took it._

_It was only after the fact that I became entangled in an ancient magic that I couldn't understand. I tread too closely to one of Boris Balkov's machines in the Abbey. I became a bitbeast no better than Balborg. I was nothing now except for a common servant for someone to control._

_But I didn't want to work for anyone. I wanted only to work for my dearest one. I wanted only to work for-_

"Mikhail. Adrien's your son." Kai murmured, red eyes staring up at her in dumb shock. She nodded slowly.

_He is the only one that I would do anything for._

"Why don't you listen to Mikhail?"

_The same reason that Dranzer won't listen to you. I may have brought him back to life…but I cannot and will not recognize him as a true entity. Mikhail is dead. He died ten years ago. The only one left who has the authority to say or do anything before me is Adrien._

"He's being manipulated, what he says isn't what he wants." Kai told her softly.

_I know that. He is still my master though, and I will do as he asks. Just as Dranzer would do anything you asked of her before you ceased to exist._

Kai fell quiet. His eyes were heavy and he felt a sadness in his chest. Their lives were made up of complex and very sad stories. There was nothing happy about any of this. There was nothing that he could be proud of. There was only – grief, and despair…lies and deceit.

"Adeline…Niko…Jeanie…" He froze. "They're not dead too are they? The raid on the school-"

_Calm down Kai. They're fine, but your version of heaven would not be complete without them is that right?_

He had to smile at that. She was right. He would not have felt complete in heaven without his loved ones. Even if they were just figments of his imagination until they really appeared...he was happy to have them with him. He lay in her arms for a long while, feeling oddly comfortable and at home with her.

_It's because I am powered by celestial magic. _He looked up at her._ It's the same as Divine grace. It's the part of your soul you're missing that you feel in me. Do not confuse the two...and know that you can hurt the one you love because of the need to be near me._ He blinked. He didn't understand.

Then suddenly she was disappearing and he blinked rapidly as he tried to hold onto her. He could sense her though. She wasn't too far away and she was getting closer. A door opened down at the other end of the hall and he stared in open awe at Adrien and Tala. His eyes narrowed in on Adrien's chest where the Angel was resting.

Then he realized what she meant. If he let on that he needed that necklace to feel sane...Adrien wouldn't believe that he actually cared about him...he'd think the only reason he'd want to be with him was because of that necklace. He took a deep breath and met his son's gaze.

"Hey Junior...how you doing?" Green eyes swelled with tears, and suddenly the boy was flying into his arms. His body soared with the sudden contact with the bitchip and he could practically feel it glowing, but he didn't dare reach for it. Instead he just held the boy to his chest. "Hey...hey I'm okay..." He whispered lightly. He looked up at Tala who was watching on in silence.

"Figured that all you needed was him and you'd feel right as rain." The younger man laughed slightly.

"Not quite...you slip your leash again?" Tala just shook his head.

"Nah...Senior came and got me. Told me I had to get you to start acting normal enough to tell people you were okay and that you came here of your own violation to seek a religious experience." Kai snorted.

"Talk about religious experiences." Adrien winced and looked up. "I'm teasing, I'm okay, really." But those green eyes weren't looking at him...they were looking at the deep burn on his chest. The symbol of the Temple of Fates. Kai sighed and placed a hand over it. "It doesn't hurt."

"You were...burned. Before it was a cut, but now..." The child whispered.

"It's not as bad as it looks." He sighed and looked away, knowing there was no way he could make it sound better. Dranzer was gone and so he was burned. It was as simple as that. He yawned and leaned back against the wall.

"I've told Bryan to move in." Tala announced suddenly, and red eyes snapped to look at him.

"How long have I been out of it?"

"Two months." He swore slightly and bit his lip. "We can't wait any longer. I saw the boys at long last...I'm not leaving them like that. At least when they had their own cells they had some sort of hygiene...now they're just trying to kill them all off. Those boys are my responsibility and I refuse to allow them to suffer." Kai nodded.

"Can I join this party?" The group turned back to look at Mikhail who was at the door now looking sadly weak. Adrien jumped up, and Kai felt his veins tighten as the boy ran across the room. Just that little distance was enough to make him needy again. He clenched his eyes closed. He was not going to beg to touch that necklace. He was not.

Mikhail received his hug and stepped forwards. He sat down next to Kai and pulled Adrien to sit between them. Kai could have kissed his brother he was so happy. He needed that feeling of Vita being close by...just for a little while longer. A few more hours and he'd be okay....or at least he hoped so.


	25. One Thousand Miles Or More

**Windstar: **This Chapter is kind of spooky, so I just wanted everyone to be warned before hand that things are going to get a little hectic. Also there's a bit more of Adeline in this chapter then there was previously and because of that there's less of everyone else. There's a lot going on over there! Anyway, thanks again to all of my reviewers I really appreciate it. Thanks to my returning reviewers who've been away - I appreciate that too!

You guys are awesome!

**Disclaimer: **Same as usual.

**Chapter Twenty-Four: **

"I'm not going to do it." Adrien murmured softly. Senior had been mighty accommodating ever since he realized that Kai was more than sane enough to actually carry full conversations with people as long as Adrien was within five feet of him.

In fact, he rewarded the teenager with a new pair of clothes. With the new sweat pants and a loose T-shirt on he looked much like a normal kid again, it was rather refreshing. That didn't mean that Senior was willing to let the boy get away with anything though. Especially not talking back. He snapped his hand out to cuff the boy about the ears, but a rather irrational member of the Revival Club caught it and threw it back.

"Don't lay a fucking finger on him." Kai hissed, his eyes flashing dangerously. Senior glared at him, pure hatred rolling off his body.

"How dare you lay so much as a _hand _on me." He pulled his cane up, and Adrien screamed – calling out his foster father's name just as the weapon started to fall. The man glanced towards him and smiled lightly before he side stepped the cane and backed up a bit. Senior glared at him for a moment before snatching out towards the necklace that Adrien wore around his neck.

Almost the moment his hand touched the cord Kai's body went rigid. His eyes slipped closed and he fought to breathe normally. Frightened green eyes glanced back at him, worried even as he tried to get away from Senior's grip.

"Kai? Kai?!" He fought a bit harder, but the man wouldn't let him go. He just held on even more.

"It's like an addiction you know..." Red eyes stared at him beseechingly.

"Don't tell him this." he begged softly, Adrien couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd never thought he'd hear his brave foster-father begging for something. That was somehow...completely out of character.

"That necklace of yours gives off energy that keeps him calm. If it were gone...he wouldn't even _want _to be so close to you." Senior finished up, ripping the cord off the boy's neck and throwing it into the far corner. Completely unwillingly the hurting man's eyes followed it's path of travel until it came to a stop, then he felt the child's green eyes upon him and he looked back at the boy in horror. Senior was smiling though, enjoying this scene was it played out.

"Dad...?" The brunette whispered softly.

"It's the same with him. Haven't you seen how much closer they've gotten to you since you brought them back. They want you to be around them so they can think clearly."

"That's not true Adrien-" Kai tried, but there was no denying the tremor running through his body as he struggled to keep himself upright. He was losing this battle, and once again he felt pure hatred race through his veins.

"Oh...I think it is." Senior moved to pick up the necklace that was discarded on the floor. He glanced towards Kai who stiffened once more when his hand closed around the bitchip. Adrien watched it all, never once taking his eyes off his father figure. "Which is why after today, your friend here is going to be spending all of his time with my son." He snapped his fingers and slapped the necklace back into Adrien's hand just as three guards ran in. The boy turned and looked at them, his eyes widening.

"No! No I won't!" Even as they grabbed his arms he was pulling away, screaming and fighting and doing everything he could to get away from them. Kai lurched forwards and started to pull them off, but Senior took the opportunity to smash his cane into the man's back. "Kai!" Adrien was being forcibly pulled out the door, his face awash with fear as he tried to get away. The formerly deceased looked up at him, knowing he couldn't do anything. "Kai! Kai help me!" He was almost out the door now, but the man answered the boy's plea and pushed himself to his feet in an attempt to run after them once more. "Kai!" Senior just laughed at the display and as the man came running towards them he slammed the door shut, locking the Captain inside while he followed his men out. "Kai!"

"Adrien!" He couldn't do anything though. He could only stare in horror as the boy vanished down the hall, his final shout not for him...but rather for:

_"Daddy!"  
_

_

* * *

_

The room was cold and quiet and when the guards threw Adrien into it he couldn't help but feel even more worried then ever before. He didn't know why exactly, but he felt a very strong compelling urge to simply forget about the people who would die in order to refuse this man life. Still, he knew full well where the blame would be placed if he did such a thing...and he wasn't a cruel person by nature.

He was tough as nails, and as calculating as Tala at times, yes – but he was not cruel. He would not see his friends be murdered and have everyone suffer by his actions. He couldn't do it. Still though, the self sacrificing gene that had let him listen to Kiril's rather irrational requests all his life did not extend so far as to let him want to spend the rest of his life with this Antonio Ottilia.

Months ago...before Tala came and he saw Kai again...Senior had asked him to bring two other people back to life. He hadn't understood it then, but now he was starting to get a bigger picture. He was starting to understand his powers a bit more, and he was starting to pull together the truth about the situation. He understood about the souls being split and he understood about how they couldn't really be completely sane without him.

His father and Michaels had lasted all that time because they had been soaked in the DNA of Vita. They were in constant connection with her because of that. They still hurt, but it wasn't bad. Doing it this way though...this way was too fast and too easy.

Both people that he brought back were dead now. He found this out later. He brought them back to life...and less then a week later they both killed themselves. They couldn't live with it. They couldn't exist. Which is why he didn't understand why they were rushing things with Antonio.

He didn't have a doubt in his mind that if he brought this man back to life and stayed with him that nothing bad would happen. He didn't have a single worried bone in his body. To him it made a lot of sense, the man would continue to function normally if he was there, but it was such a risk. If Vita was ever lost or missing then this man would also commit suicide.

Which only added to that pain in his heart. Kai and Mikhail had been brought back because of him which meant that Vita's energy was essential for their survival. If he wasn't there...if she wasn't there to be more precise...then they would loose themselves. Kai had lasted so long because he was fighting for life, but there was no garuntee that that would continue.

Kai could very well be the next person he killed...after he found out about the last two he'd just assumed that Kai had died as well. Mikhail would be after that. Staying with this person would ensure their deaths, but not doing this would ensure everyone else's death. He felt a headache forming as he stared at the corpse that was lying on the silk sheets of a king sized bed.

Dressed in satin and looking oddly like a ghastly doll on Halloween, he couldn't help but feel a shiver run up his spine. He hated working with people who had been dead for a long time. It was the most terrifying sight he'd ever seen in his life. He didn't want to see it now. Clenching his fists he looked at the man and took a deep breath.

It didn't matter to him anymore. If he brought this man back to life, Kai and Mikhail would die, but everyone else would be okay. It didn't matter. There was nothing he could do about it. He closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath. Six more days. He reminded himself. Six days in hell...if they can survive six more days...we're free.

With that thought in mind he opened his eyes and unclenched his fist from around Vita's bitchip. He summoned the Angel and she looked at him with such sad green eyes. Looking at the man across from him he steadied himself and nodded.

"Bring Antonio Ottilia back to life." He commanded and a light filled the room. He forced himself to watch, forced himself to ignore the screams that he was certain only he could hear. The screams of one being pulled from the dead and thrust back into a body.

When the light faded, the corpse remained just that – a corpse. It was pure morbid curiosity that made him take a step forwards. He leaned closer, looking at the man's face that was still burnt and crispy from Kai's actions seventeen years before. Just as he was starting to get withing four feet of the man though, dark eyes snapped open.

Adrien screamed, jumping back in fright before holding his ground. His fingers tightened around the necklace in his palm and he watched as the jaw started to move. Crusts of burnt flesh started to sizzle away from the movement, and those eyes followed him. He took a deep breath as he watched that chest start to rise and fall.

When the rotting thing started to sit up though, he'd had more then enough and made a beeline towards the door. Only it was locked and as he struggled to open it, he could hear the dead body moving around behind him.

He glanced back and grimaced at the sight before him. The man was starting to regrow all the flesh on his face. His hair was starting to form. The teenager pressed his back against the door as he stared at the sight.

"Who are you?" The man asked suddenly as he looked at the boy. Adrien licked his lips and tried to steady himself. He'd done this before. It was going to be okay.

"Adrien Ivanov." He announced the name proudly as he looked at the soon to be fully healed formerly dead man. "You...you've been brought back to life." The man tilted his head to the side as he stood up and slowly started walking towards him. He was almost complete now and far less scary to behold. He could even see the family resemblance to Anna and Senior.

"Did I now...?" He reached out and the teen stiffened. "Why is it that you have the presence of one of those damned Angels then?" At that the boy glanced down at his palm, and Antonio he did too. Smirking he shook his head and caught the teen's hand in his own. "Or is it that you just _captured _an Angel?"

The door behind him opened suddenly and the teen fell backwards into the chest of Senior. He was instantly pushed away, but he couldn't hide the relief in knowing he wasn't alone any longer - even if it was someone as oily as Senior. Antonio frowned somewhat, still not letting go of the boy's hand. Instead he just looked at the new comer who had yet to say anything.

"Father?" He asked slowly, looking the older man up and down. Senior just smiled.

"Yes."

"You look...old." the man couldn't help himself, he laughed good naturedly and nodded.

"It has been seventeen years since I last saw you alive, my child..." Antonio raised an eyebrow.

"Is that all? Felt like an eternity." The brunette child couldn't help but feel rather annoyed at all of this. Kai and Mikhail and the other two people he didn't know had all been a mess when they first woke up. This wasn't fair at all!

_He was Hell bound._ Vita's voice whispered in Adrien's head and he closed his eyes somewhat to listen. _His soul remained in tact...it fought to leave Hell and so it is in one piece. When a soul is taken from Heaven though...it doesn't want to leave that peace. So it is fractured._

"So he's like this because he's a bastard and everyone else was a good person; so they're in pain?" He hissed towards her. She fell silent. She had nothing she could say in her defense. It was just how the world was. Good people tend to get hurt more then bad people.

"Who's the kid?" Antonio asked suddenly as he tugged on the teen's hand. Green eyes glanced up at him and scowled. He didn't like this person at all, and the fact that he was perfectly fine without him being there made him even more inclined to leave and stay with people who did need him.

"Your revivalist. This boy was the one who brought you back to life. He's-"

"He was in hell." Adrien announced suddenly. Antonio glanced over to him.

"What did you just say you filthy little brat?!" Senior hissed as he spun the boy around to look at him. All the while Antonio held tightly to the boy's hand.

"He doesn't need me. His soul's in tact." Adrien went on, not caring at this point. "I want to go back to Kai and my dad."

"What'd yo just say?" The sixth member of the Revival Club asked as he looked at the boy. Adrien glanced up at him, feeling slightly insecure. "That name...Kai, was it? Kai Hiwatari?" Senior could only laugh.

"The boy who killed you back then...our dear Anna was living with him until she was adopted by a coworker of his grandfather's. They've been working for the ISA for quite some time. We killed her so called father and Anna was given some incentive to come back to us. Her fiance was Kai's older brother Tala Ivanov. Their older brother was Mikhail is the father of this quite talented little boy. I shot Kai two months ago and he hasn't quite been able to adjust to returning to life yet. It seems that only with the presence of that Angel in Adrien's hand near by can he actually function on a normal level. He's just down the hall if you'd like to see him. He thinks of him as a son."The man motioned towards the teen who scowled in annoyance. That was the story of their lives in a nutshell: totally fucked up.

The room seemed to grow oddly cold and Adrien looked up at Antonio with a quiet grimace. He was smiling. He was actually smiling quite happily at them. That fake smile that was seeped in venom made the teenager pull back slightly. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all. A hand reached up and Adrien skirted away from it as it stroked his hair. He didn't want this man to touch him, he didn't want this man to be holding his hand any more.

He tugged away in an attempt to get out of the grip, but nothing happened. He couldn't pull free. Antonio just smiled broader. He leaned forwards and whispered something in the teenager's ear. Green eyes widened and he frantically attempted to pull his hand free, but the man refused to let go. Instead he just gripped harder. Hard enough to bruise.

The teen gasped, and that was all he needed, suddenly a blinding force shot out of his palm and Antonio was thrown backwards. Senior hit the wall just behind them, and Adrien stared at them in dumb shock. What the hell was that? He looked at Vita who was shining brightly and he could only imagine that she had reacted to his pain and had struck out.

He'd heard stories of how occasionally bitbeasts would react on their own, but to actually have it happen...in this situation at least...it frightened him. He bit his lip, feeling entirely too vulnerable at the moment. Antonio was sitting up looking furious, and Senior looked ready to kill.

"I...didn't mean to..." He whispered softly holding the bitchip up. "She did it."

"Oh I'm sure she did you little brat." The man hissed. "Lucky for you, I'm incredibly patient. You're not the one I'm after right now. You can just wait here and twiddle your thumbs while your uncle and I have a chat."

Not two minutes later Adrien found himself locked in the bedroom and staring at the door, wondering painfully just what was happening to his father figure and what was going on with him.

* * *

Anna couldn't understand it. She reread the data, she redid the math, and still she couldn't understand it. She just found herself staring at the screen with blank misunderstanding. For so long Two had been the best hacker out of all of them. One, four and five had been just under him and then Three trailing in the back. It didn't make any sense whatsoever.

In fact, the data must have been wrong, and yet...she couldn't believe she was saying this – but it couldn't be wrong. She watched it happen herself. Four and Five were now the best out of all of them with Three behind them and One after that, and Two was failing so abysmally it looked like something seriously had just gone all wrong.

And to top it all off, she was being told to help train Three of all people instead of Two who was close to getting the boot he was failing so badly. He wasn't even doing simple tasks well. In general he was just sucking terribly.

"What's your problem? I mean seriously – get your act together! You were doing more complex hacks then this only two days ago!" Two sighed and looked away, seeming bashful. Three seemed to find this rather funny though. Lately he kept ribbing on him and Two just took it for some reason. Though occasionally he'd bite back.

"Yeah Two, it's only been a couple days, you really should be doing better." Three teased under his breath and Anna whipped around.

"You be quiet you insufferable pig!" The man rolled his eyes.

"Oh please. I'm so scared of you."

"Well maybe you should be scared for your friend. If he doesn't get his act together they're going to kill him!" At that three could only smile.

"Oh...I hardly think they'll kill _him_, he's too _special._ Isn't that right, my dear?" She glowered at him and called him an ass before turning and stalking towards her computer system. Two glance towards Three the moment she was out of hearing range.

"I suck at this." He mumbled quietly, and Three just grinned.

"Well, lately...yes. I just can't understand!"He was giggling as he said the last sentance, a goofy smile on his face. "You were doing so well before!"

"Stuff it you cretin."He took a swing at Three's head, but it was ducked pretty easily.

"Sticks and stones friend." The smile faded, and Two tilted his head in acknolwedgement of the change of mood. "Hey, listen, I need a favor" Two looked at him curiously.

"What is it?"

"I need you to find someone."  


* * *

Meanwhile, Senior was busy explaining the situation to Antonio as they walked through the halls of the Temple. The man was looking around, staring at all the things that didn't exist seventeen years ago and accepting them for what they were. He'd understand it all later he was sure.

It was when they got to the door of one room in particular did he raise an eyebrow. There, lying on a bed was a teenager no older than the boy they'd locked up in the room behind them. He was practically emaciated and he looked sickly. Still, he was lying on a bed and not in a cell like the other children had been placed in.

"Kai's other nephew. Tala's younger brother. He adopted him after his father died...he's Anna's adopted son." The man explained.

"I'm surprised he's in here then...and not in a tomb." Antonio muttered as he walked inside. The boy was practically writhing on the bed and he arched a brow to look up at his father. The man just smirked.

"He's the test subject of one of our formulas...a poison if you will, that kills you in three days without a quite ironic antidote." The son laughed and shook his head. "After nearly four months he's thoroughly trained by now. He had quite a mouth on him when he first got here, but now he'd quite well broken in. Far more obedient then his distasteful cousin back there."

"So I see." His eyes were on the track marks that were the tell tale sign of continuous injections. The boy's muddy brown eyes stared up at him almost begging for him to help him.

"He's due for another dose." Senior said simply, shrugging slightly. "We give him one every three days as compensation for our hackers to do their job. They stop doing it...and they get eliminated. Starting off with the boy."

"You run quite the tight ship around here father. I like it." The man grinned.

"When the hackers manage to get into the nuclear launch systems of the Super Power's military, we'll be able to kill everyone in the planet that would put up any fight. In the chaos...we can climb to the top easily. We can control life and death...and with that in mind no one would dare question us. We could bring back Jesus Christ himself if we wanted to. The world would bow down to us."

Antonio nodded, and after being informed of the measurement he picked up the needle that was laying not too far away and starting to fill it with the amount of drug needed to stop the painful effects of the poison. The child's hair was sleeked with sweat and it looked like he was stepping through deaths door. The man took slight satisfaction in watching the boy's eyes flutter slightly as he injected the needle into his body. It was almost as though he was on a high. The second he antidote hit his body he was cooing softly, almost nuzzling his head towards him.

The man snorted. He could only imagine the look on that bastard Kai's face if he saw this now. His little nephews squished under his thumb. He knew Anna would be crushed into pieces. He had never met Kai's brothers but he was happy in knowing that this would hurt them too. He was very happy. In fact...it made him proud to know that whoever this nameless boy was, was destroying those people one by one by one.

He stood up, but the child's hand grabbed his suddenly. Dizzy with the effects of the antidote working on his body the child mouthed two words. The newly revived man just smirked at them and leaned over. _Oh don't thank me yet boy....don't you dare thank me yet._

The tour continued, and the whole plan was laid out before him. By the time they stopped at Kai's door he was well prepared and armed with the information that went with his newfound knowledge. He smirked as he pushed open the door.

Kai was sitting in the corner, one hand on his head as he leaned against the wall. He was sighing occasionally, but in all honesty he was simply trying to get the pain in his chest to dissipate glanced over towards the door and glowered when he saw who was at it. Forcing himself to stand, he looked at Antonio with pure hatred in his eyes. Senior raised an eyebrow at the display, clearly not liking the look that Kai was giving his son.

"It's alright father...you can leave. Kai and I have something we need to discuss...I think it might take too much of your precious time."

"I'll go then." The man nodded, taking the hint. Then he looked to Kai. "If you hurt him...I have more then one brat that I can slaughter because of it." The man actually managed to sneer in return.

"I'll take that into consideration." The door closed and Antonio could only smile.

"Do you want to know how long I've been _dying _to get my hands on you?" He stalked forwards, one hand reaching out to touch Kai's shivering cheek. He couldn't help it. He could barely stand and he knew full well he was at this cretin's mercy.

"Oh, I don't know...seventeen years?" He spat, hate rolling off every word. The man just smirked at him.

"No dear Kai...time runs differently in hell."

"As it should. You deserve to burn for all the shit that you did."

"Haha...you're accusing me of such things-"

"You raped and murdered dozens of children- both girls and boys – under the age of thirteen over the course of five years. You were acquitted on everything because there wasn't enough proof to point to you. That didn't stop you from joining your father's crazed drug scheme and starting up a world wide trafficking network." Kai smirked despite the amount of pain he was in, he wasn't going to go down without a fight. His head was buzzing, but he wasn't going to cow in front of this man. Anyone else maybe, but not this man. "So tell me. Did your brother abandon Anna in Russia because he hated her...or because he was trying to protect her from _you_?" Fury coursed across the man's face as he glowered at Kai.

He drew his fist back, and let it fly. There would be no mercy for Kai Hiwatari that night. None at all.  


* * *

Still, through everything that was going on, he thought of one person. He imagined her in his mind. Long flowing blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. He imagined his wedding day. Or rather, his wedding night. Luka had flown in with him, and he was quiet through the whole trip. Neither of them had said a word to each other, and it was probably because they didn't quite know what to say.

_They walked up the stairs to the church and entered._

_Kai in his tuxedo and Luka in a matching outfit. Bryan and Spencer were sitting not to far away, staring up at them in quiet silence. Ian had said that he couldn't make it. There was no surprise there. They hadn't even expected the call apologizing for his absence. It wasn't important anymore anyway._

_"Things are going to be different from now on." Luka told him softly as he stared at the doors he knew she'd emerge out of. The priest was behind them and he was looking slightly worried. He knew as well as they did that they were very close to starting a major problem with the royal family. Still, he needed to do this. He had to do this._

_"Yeah, I know." He took a few deep breaths. He needed to stay calm for this. He couldn't bare if he freaked out in the middle. Right now though he needed to stay calm. Everything was going to be changed and he needed to keep his cool head. "You think..." He trailed off._

_"Yeah?" Luka asked, placing his hand on his brother's shoulder. Kai looked back at him._

_"You think Napoleon will ever forgive me?"_

_The doors opened and everyone looked back to see Adeline standing there in her wedding dress. It was stunningly beautiful, but then again she was gorgeous in whatever she wore. On her head was her circlet and she carried with her her ring of heritage declaring her as the Princess of France's unobserved Royal family._

_Yet the most surprising thing of all was her father standing at her side. Kai felt his heart leap into his throat as he stared at the sight, and Luka's fingers tightened on his shoulder just a bit. The man looked infuriated, but he was controlling himself. They walked down the aisle and up the stairs to where Kai was waiting. Tala bowed his head and stepped back a little to make way._

_"Sir..." Kai bowed as well, but Napoleon wouldn't have it._

_"Let me make this clear to you boy." He felt himself shrink under the man's ire. "I am no where near ready to forgive you for this. However...I will not deny that if I do not sanction this you will do it behind my back. I will allow this ceremony to continue, but I am not willing to talk to you about this. Am I understood?"_

_"Yes, sir." The man met his gaze and held it._

_"You keep my daughter safe...and you take care of her boy. You will not hurt her."_

_"No, sir. I won't."_

_And then...and then came the I dos. Her face was so beautiful and he would never forget that kiss. So sweet. It was chaste but sweet and he loved her even more then he had a moment before because of it._

_"My wife..." He whispered to her._

_"My husband." She whispered back._

The memories shifted in his mind. Still centering around the one woman who captivated him fully and completely. The one person that he loved so tenderly.

_"Luka's going to let himself get captured by the organization we've been tracking for the past few years." He whispered softly, his hands intermingling with hers. She looked at him quietly, her eyes filled with sorrow._

_"You can't stop him can you?" He shook his head as he leaned back onto the wall. They were in his room and dressed in barely anything. One hand couldn't resist touching her stomach and rubbing it fondly. She was just starting to finally give in and let him do it because he couldn't resist. They hadn't told anyone the good news yet._

_"I have my love story." He whispered softly. He looked at her and she couldn't smile up at him. She knew where this was going. "His was stolen...he needs to get it back."_

_"I wish there was something we could do to ease that hurt."_

_"I do too." He held her closely and they wept quietly in his room, incapable of doing anything but feeling sadness for the man they both loved._

When they told Tala about the baby he almost looked like someone had shot him in the heart. He smiled happily though, and a few minutes later was going on and on about all the different things that they needed to do. It was like seeing an image from the , Kai wasn't the only one to realize that everything that Tala was mentioning were things that he hadn't prepared in the past.

The baby's room wasn't going to be blue...the bed wasn't going to be the rocking crib...he had an excuse for everything too.

_"He'll fall out on one of those rocking cribs, we can't have him die! So it has to have bars. You can use it when he's older too...until he can get a bigger bed. Those rocking ones don't work. And you never know, blue walls? What if it's a girl? Might as well be yellow. Safe and neutral." Still, Adeline could see through it just as well as Kai could._

_Kai moved forwards and gave his brother a hug, and it was returned quickly enough. The redhead was still rambling, but after a few minutes Kai still hadn't let go and the man fell silent. He looked at Adeline who was standing across from him looking miserable, and he couldn't hold it in anymore. His hands dropped to his side and he rested his head on his brother's shoulder._

_"I am happy for you." He tried, even as his voice cracked._

_"Shut up and cry you big idiot." Kai told him, still refusing to let go. And cry he did. Tala completely fell apart in his brother's arms. He cried and cried and cried. Adeline came over and wrapped her arms around them, and soon he was hugging her to his chest as he cried harder and harder._

_Words couldn't describe the pure pain that this man had felt upon hearing about the baby. All he could think of was the poor little boy he'd never have a chance to meet. All he could think about was how Anna had killed their child and left him for dead._

_All he could think about was how his love story was gone._

Kai thought about Jeannine and Nikoli. His precious children who he'd only seen in photographs and at their birth.

His heart had all but stopped when he opened the unmarked box one day and saw the locket there. It was the one thing he wanted more then anything else. Signs of his wife and children who were waiting for him to come home. He fell apart and just stared at that picture for the rest of the day. It was the only thing on his mind.

* * *

Thousands of miles away, Adeline was staring up at the night sky and her mind was also on Kai. She sat on the wooden deck of the Granger Family Dojo. Tyson was sitting not too far behind her, watching her sadly. Not too long ago though...she'd come to accept that it was highly likely her husband was dead. She had been staring up at the sky and watching the stars as she remembered the night that everything had happened.

_A great scream echoed through the house, and she spun about quickly. Terrified she ran up the stairs, rushing into her bedroom to where she was keeping the few belongings that she had manage to take with them when they left. Among them were Kai's beyblades. Only Dranzer wasn't among them. She stared at it in confusion, not understanding. She recognized the phoenix song and yet she didn't see the bird. _

_Turning she rushe dto where her children were and she could only stare in shock at the sight that sat before her. Dranzer was screaming out into the room, her bitchip hovering over the babies by will of magic almost. Her song was harsh and bitter and loud and yet it seemed like the children didn't even here it. They just stared up at her in Princess stepped forward as the bird looked at her, calling out louder and louder. _

_"I don't understand, what are you crying about?!" She shouted as the decibles grew._

_Hilary came rushing in to see what was happening and just behind her was Tyson. They looked at the scene in horror, not able to translate the frantic calls any better. No one had seen Dranzer appear without Kai's will, and it was enough to make them forwn in confusion. They couldn't understand what was happening. _

My master is gone! _Dranzer's voice filled Adeline's head and she felt tears start to form in her eyes. A greater light appeared in the room and it shot out from the space behind them. It too hovered over the children, and after a moment it was clear that it was none other then Black Dranzer's bitchip. It was glowing brightly, the light shining until the point of blindness. She stared at it for as long as she was able, for years now it had been blank. Kai had always carried the remainder of the chip with him though, refusing to throw it out._

_Now though, as she stared at it, and as the light faded, the image of the bird became more obvious. Black Dranzer had returned to her chip. She was no longer apart of Kai. Her knees hit the floor and she started to cry as well, the fire birds surrounded her. They attempted to comfort her – but how does one comfort someone when they too are broken-hearted?_

_Then something happened. Dranzer's head snapped up and she stared off into the distance. Black Dranzer did the same. Tyson looked at them curiously._

_"What is it?" He asked as he looked at the bitbeasts._

Not Kai...but...close...almost as though...he's not whole... _Black Dranzer said smoothly. Adeline frowned._

_"What does that mean?"_

It means that something has happened. Kai is...not alive...but he's not dead either...I cannot recognize him as an actual person.

_"What does that mean!?" Adeline shouted as she pushed herself to her feet._

We do not know._ The birds vanished just like that, disappearing into the dark. They're chips fell into the waiting hands of the twins below, and they giggled lightly as they held them. The phoenixes were gone, and Adeline couldn't understand what they had been saying. What did they mean?!_

That didn't stop her from wearing black everyday though, or burning incense for him. She refused to give herself too much hope that he was still alive. It would only break her heart to learn that he was in fact dead. Now the only thing she hoped for was for everyone to come home safely...or at least...for everyone else to come to her safely. Their home was gone.

She looked up at the stars though, hoping that at least his spirit could hear her prayers.

"Please Kai...Please...I hope you're alright. I love you."

And as Kai lay tortured on the ground of his so called room, he could have sworn that he heard her.


	26. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

**Windstar: **This chapter is going to be a bit hard for some people, but just so everyone's aware: there is a rhyme and reason for everything and all will become clear in time. I don't make a habit of killing off my characters, but I have made a few exceptions. It will all become clear though. I hope that you all enjoyed the quick update. Another one's coming right back at you soon enough! Truth be told: we're getting close to leaving this arc and entering another.

Thanks to my awesome reviewers.

**Disclaimer: **See first chapter

**Chapter Twenty-Five:**

For three days Antonio stayed with Kai, bringing him to and from the brink of unconsciousness. For three days there was no rest, and there was nothing except Antonio's burning desire for revenge. For three days Kai remembered and blocked out what was happening. He didn't care, and he didn't want to care.

And so, on the eve of the fourth day, when Antonio had finally left him to suffer in silence, Kai awakened from his memories and musings of happier times. He stared into the surrounding room, his soul crushing under the weight of Vita-no...Adrien's...absence. He didn't care though. He was done.

"Tala." Kai whispered softly into the darkness of his room. His body was on fire and his mind was a mess, but there was one overwhelming urge that he just couldn't silence.  


* * *

Elsewhere in the complex a sleepy redheaded commander snapped awake, his LXCom active even as he dreamed. He groaned slightly, touching his head in annoyance. "Jesus...turn off you son of a-"

_Tala. _The Commander hesitated. He wasn't going crazy. At least he hoped so. One never knew in this place, but he knew that voice. Closing his eyes he accessesed the Temple's security cameras and he skimmed through the files until he came to his very slightly younger brother's room.

Kai was leaning against the wall for support, blood had coagulated on his arms and legs and he looked like someone had whipped him for all he was worth and just kicked him around for fun. The hacker glowered at the site.

"Tala turn the camera off and on if you can hear me." Kai whispered softly, his eyes staring straight at the green light that showed the camera was functioning. Smirking Tala did as he was told, carefully leaving an after image for any security guard to see and freezing the screen so Kai didn't move while he overwrote onto the tape. Within moments the light flashed on the camera and Kai nodded.

The security wouldn't notice a thing. As far as they were concerned, Kai was simply leaning against the wall and mumbling to himself. He'd be doing that for however long it took for this conversation to take place. As one sided as it kind of was, Tala was listening and there wasn't anything that he wanted to do more then to help out his brother.

"Where's Senior right now? Can you do it in Morse?" He flashed the light so that it spelt out that he'd check. Quickly he raced through the various security cameras and looked for the man in question. When he found him, he quickly sent the message back.

I.N H.I.S R.O.O.M A.S.L.E.E.P

"Directions?"

I. W.I.L.L. F.L.A.S.H. T.H.E. L.I.G.H.T.S

O.N.C.E F.O.R L.E.F.T. T.W.I.C.E F.O.R R.I.G.H.T.

Kai nodded. "Unlock the door." He said softly, and there was a buzzing sound. The door was electronically fried. He smirked and started forwards. Tala didn't question his brother's motives, right now he understood full well what Kai intended, and while it was no skin off his back, he knew it probably wasn't the safest decision in the world. Still, no one was going to talk Kai out of this. So he wasn't even going to bother.

The injured man walked slowly yet confidently down the hallway. Antonio hadn't broken any of his bones, and that was something he would deeply regret. _Deeply _regret. Kai was blinking back only skin and muscle pain, and while it was severe – his grudge against Senior Ottilia was stronger still. He was not going to let this bastard keep tormenting his life and tormenting his family.

Tala watched his brother move, his eyes following his every move. A guard started walking down the opposite hall and he flashed the ceiling lights in the corridor to warn the heir. Kai didn't need the warning though. The second that man even thought about turning the corner he had a hand crushing against his temples and the unfortunate was out like a light.

Tala worked quickly and started to hack into the com systems that were running on the standing guards. It took him a while to bounce of the various radio networks and reprogram the signals emitting from Kai's guard, but he was gratified when he realized that Kai had been waiting for him. He was crouching over the man either waiting or catching his breath. Either worked fine because after a few moments he was in, and Kai was grabbing the head set and walking with renewed confidence. He had an Operator. That's how he liked his missions.

"Why Senior?" Tala asked as he put a time loop on every hallway that would be used and shut down communications to the ones they'd passed. The body had been hidden, but it was only a matter of time.

"He fucking pissed me off." Kai hissed back as he slinked through the floors. He opened a door, and stared in silence at the staircase that had been the death of him. He stood at the top, peering down it as though it was the entrance to the gates of hell themselves. It was ironic that they were in a sense.

Just down these stairs and a few turns over was where the bastard himself was sleeping.

Tala stayed quiet as he watched his brother stare at those steps. Kai's eyes took in each one. Every single bit of marble that made up those stairs. He looked at each and every one of them. He stared at them, stared them straight in the face. It was like overcoming his greatest fear. It was a battle that he needed to face though.

Closing his eyes he took a deep breath, nodded once, and proceeded. He made the first step, then another. One of his hands touched the railing and he walked slowly down them. He looked like he was struggling mightily. Another plane ride that needed to be conquered. He took another step. He walked one step more. There was blood on this one, and his fingers twitched towards his head.

He pushed it passed him though and kept going. He kept walking. He never stopped. When he reached the bottom, he didn't look back. There would be no looking back. He knew as well as everyone else that if he did what he was going to do, and if he was caught, there would be nothing left of him to bring him back.

Tala closed his eyes for a moment. He tried not to think of that. He tried not to imagine that this was Kai's great plan. He couldn't handle life as it was so he was going to die. He tried not to imagine his brother dead. He had controlled himself when he first had heard the news because he had known what had happened.

He had guessed, as Michaels had, that Adrien had been coerced into reviving Kai. He had guess, correctly, that Kai was still alive. Upon seeing him though...upon staring at his brother's face...he knew truly that his brother was a very changed person. He wasn't able to let go of something, and he knew then more then anything else, he was unable to move on.

If this was Kai's great plan for suicide, he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop it. Hacking out of his own room and rushing down to drag him to safety wasn't going to happen. There was no way he was going to be able to get there in time. If Kai wanted to die, he'd pull the trigger himself. Which is why Tala had to just sit back and watch.

He didn't think that Kai wanted to die though...and that was why his heart was more steady that it probably should have been. He felt like he was just watching a movie. Occasionally Kai would look up at the camera and smile, and he would smile back and say something charming. More often then not though, there was silence. That's all there needed to be.

Tala was simply the force that Kai needed to hold on to right now. Any second now and it looked like he was going to collapse. It looked like his very body was giving up and that he wasn't going to be able to concentrate or focus any more.

"Kai?" There was no response. The heir had been leaning against the same spot on a wall for over five minutes now and Tala licked his lips. So far away it was highly improbable that help was going to get there in time. It was highly unlikely that if anything should happen they'd be able to make it. "Kai?" Still nothing. "Sacha." Red eyes snapped open and stared at the camera.

"Fuck you...I'm just taking a rest." He snapped and Tala smiled.

"Sure thing, why don't you do what you're planning on doing and then go back to rest in your room, huh?" Kai shrugged and nodded. He slid against the wall and kept going.

The door was right in front of him now. He could almost feel it. Then he heard footsteps, and he froze. Closing his eyes he slowly turned. He didn't have to look to know he'd gotten caught. A gun was raised right at his head and a man that he recognized was standing across from him. He frowned when he looked at him at long last.

Christopher Hughes. The man was staring him straight in the eye and he had his gun raised right at Kai's head. His intention was obvious and the Captain knew his time was up. He knew that his game was over. He could hardly believe it, but he knew it as true. Chris did something odd then though...he did something very odd.

He took one final step closer. In perfect sweeping distance. The safety was still on the gun and he wouldn't have time to move in time. He moved his front foot, and Kai snapped to the floor and kicked out.

Down the traitor went. He snapped his head onto the ground and his hand opened just enough for Kai to grab the gun out of it. Christopher looked up at him with wide eyes, but before anything could happen, Kai kicked him as hard as he could in the head and that was the end of that. The man was unconscious and Kai was standing over him. He had no energy left. None whatsoever. He was completely spent and his legs were shaking from underneath him.

"I don't get it." Kai whispered softly. His mind was doing it slowly, and everything still didn't add up. He honestly couldn't figure it out. Closing his eyes he tried to put two and two together and he couldn't do it.

"Kai I'm coming down there, I'll help you get back up." Tala told him quickly, he stood up in his own cell and started for the door.

"No...no don't come. I can manage."

"Fuck you Kai, you can't manage. I'm coming." And he slowly started hacking his way out.

Meanwhile the heir sighed and looked at the door. He smirked slightly and slowly reached for the door knob. It was locked. Glancing back towards Christopher he laughed when he saw a set of keys. He took them from the jerk, giving him another kick for good measure, and then started trying them out. One by one.

It was the last one that finally worked and he pushed the door open quietly. Stepping inside he could just see Senior sleeping peacefully on his bed. Besides him was his wife or mistress. He didn't particularly care which one. Kai raised his gun, checked to see if there were any bullets, slid the magazine back into place, clicked the safety off, and with the aim of an assassin fired two shots in rapid succession. Both hit the two in the heads, and both killed them instantly.

He couldn't help it, he laughed. Closing the door to the bedroom, he turned and started to make his way back to his own room. He didn't care much for secrecy right now, he just needed to lay down. He walked slowly yet confidently for a while. Even if he was killed, he was gratified in knowing that Senior was dead. That was good enough for him.

He slid against the walls and used them for support. Whenever he saw someone he knocked them out and left them there. He was so beyond caring it was rediculous. He was about halfway there when he finally lost all of his ability to move and sank to the floor. He looked at either end of the hallway and he sighed.

"This...sucks..." He murmured softly before closing his eyes and letting darkness take him. He couldn't make his body move even if he tried.

As he sat there he could feel Adrien in his mind. He could feel where the boy was. Five hallways to the left, take the next right, up a flight of stairs, and on the second door to the right the boy was probably sleeping. Walking back had given him a great deal more energy then he thought he'd had and he supposed that it was because he was walking closer to him.

Still, it hadn't helped him in the long run. He was still incapable of moving any closer. He was simply too spent. He thought about Addy some more. He thought about how beautiful she looked in that nice pair of jeans and top she had been wearing to that business meeting all those years ago. He remembered how happy she was when Tala had taken over HE and given them some time to spend together.

"Whatever happened to easy missions?" He asked to no one in particular.

"What, this isn't easy enough for you?" He looked up and stared at the helmet of a hacker, and he had to laugh.

"You look rediculous in that." He couldn't see the eyes but he could all but feel them rolling behind that mask. He was certainly scowling enough. Strong arms scooped underneath him and pulled the gun from his grip. "I...need that." Kai groaned as he followed the pistol with his eyes.

"I'm sure you do. You can't even fire it. Leave that to me. You need to go beddy-by before someone realizes what you've done."

"Oh goody..." Two carefully brought his _brother _down the halls towards the cell block that had been designated for him. He walked swiftly and he kept a mindful eye on everything around him. He wasn't in the mood to get caught and they were risking enough as it was with Kai's conspicuous body trail he'd been leaving.

Seeing those bars was the best thing he could have seen at that moment and he hurried to Kai's particular home. Stopping before them he sighed and started to mumble, ever mindful of the cameras that were staring at them.

"K...we're here...now if this could be unlocked..." There was a click and he smiled gleefully. "Bingo." Pushing the door aside he entered and lay his dear friend down on the bed. He cupped the pale cheek in his hand. "Hey...I've got to head back before they miss me...you're going to be okay alright?"

"Yeah...yeah...thanks..." Kai mumbled, barely keeping track of what was being said around him. Two sighed and bit his lip before ducking out of the way and starting for the door.

Only five minutes later did an alarm go off. Sirens flashed everywhere and Three sat up in his cell as he listened to them. He glanced to Two's empty cell and hissed in frustration. They weren't going to have enough time. This was bad. This was very very bad.

Two was running as fast as he possibly could, and taking down as many people as possible, but he knew as well as the management of the Temple that soon enough he was going to get caught. Guards were filling up every hall and every guns were drawn on each of them. Soon the command was sent to check up on Antonio and Senior as they were the highest of priorites.

Antonio woke up and stepped out of his room in confusion. He glanced towards Adrien who was still huddled in the bathroom where he'd all but barracaded himself in the night before. The boy refused to come out and he hadn't bothered to deal with him. He was still in a good mood after playing with Kai for so long.

"What are those noises you stupid boy?" He hissed as he asked as he motioned to the blaring noise. The child shook his head though.

"I don't know...they've never gone off before." He admitted softly. His mind was still on the blood drenched image of the man when he'd come in and exclaimed how his Uncle had been severely punished for everything. Antonio just snorted. It didn't seem like Adrien was useful in the slightest. He moved towards the door and he opened it.

A man was at it in an instant.

"I'm sorry sir, but there's been a breach of security, I'm stationing men outside this door for your protection please stay inside."

"What are you talking about, a breach of security. What breach?"

"There's been an incident sir." The man stated cooly.

"What incident?"

"Sir...we have reason to believe that someone has murdered your father." Antonio felt his blood run cold. Adrien felt his body turn to stone. No! That meant that he'd have to bring someone else back to life! No!

Vita's voice was slowly whispering to him, calming him down and telling him of secrets. He squeezed his eyes shut and he listened because he didn't know what else to do.

Somewhere else in the complex Anna looked out into the hallway. There were men running passed and she hailed one down. He looked at her in confusion and she quickly asked him the question she was desperately trying to figure out.

"What's happening?"

"Someone has killed Mr. Ottilia ma'am. Please stay inside." She blinked, her mouth dropping.

"He's dead?!" She screamed. He nodded and quickly went about his watch. She was left staring after him feeling as though she'd been socked in the gut.

At that exact moment someone dropped down from the ceiling and she screamed. Two was standing directly across from her looking worn out and exhausted. He caught sight of her and hissed. Snapping a hand out he covered her mouth.

"Do you mind keeping it down I'm trying to escape here!" Her eyes widened and she looked at the gun that was in his other hand and she could hardly believe what she was hearing. She started talking but his hand smothered it. Only moments later were there guns pointing straight at his head. He groaned as he looked around. Her scream had attracted attention. He couldn't possibly out maneuver all of them.

He pulled her to his chest and pointed his gun at her head. She screamed and started to struggle out of instinct, but he held her to him.

"Now now...no one needs to get hurt...why don't you just let me go and I won't harm your nice scientist?" He said brightly as he started to move slowly down the hall. The guards followed him, their guns aimed straight at him. She glanced wildly back at him. This was his great plan?! They were liable to kill both of them this way!

"Why don't you let the nice scientist go and I won't splatter the brat's brains on the wall behind him?" All eyes turned to where an extraordinarily pissed off Antonio Ottilia was holding tiny Dmitri Ivanov by the arm, a gun pointed straight at his skull.

Anna screamed, tears coming to her eyes as she struggled hard against Two's hold. There was no strength behind it though. He instantly released her and she was rushing back towards her Uncle and son. The man rolled his eyes and shoved the child towards her. He had bigger fish to fry and he wasn't stupid enough to kill the boy when he was the only leverage they really had over her at the moment. There was no garuntee she'd listen to them if her baby brat wasn't with her. Even if they did have that other boy.

"I do believe...the jig is up. Wouldn't you say, you murdering bastard?" Antonio hissed and Anna looked back at Two who was standing there in stoic silence.

"Ah...I suppose." The hacker allowed as he held his hands up and got onto his knees. "Didn't think I'd make it that far anyway." He admitted before someone came up from behind him and smashed the butt of their gun clear into his head.

"Oh you're going to wish you were never born by the time I'm done with you..."

"Tala!" Anna shouted as she saw them carry him away. Antonio glanced back at her.

"Your fiance? Kai's brother?" She snapped her mouth shut and that was all the answer he needed. "Oh this is going to be more fun then I had originally thought. Lock her up with one of the others...take the kid. You're never going to see either of them again you little witch." He'd have fun tormenting her with her child's well being.

"No!" Anna screamed, holding Dmitri close to her. She picked him up suddenly and started running. One of the men raised his weapon though and fired. The electric chords snapped out and attached to her, sending a current through her body and subsequently into her son. Both went down for the count, unconscious and unresisting.

Antonio looked at Christopher (who had seemingly woken up and had hurried to respond to the scene) and glowered. "Bring me that boy from my room and my Father's body. He has work to do." The man nodded and hurried off. All the while glancing back at the body of Anna that was laying on the floor – tears streaking down her cheeks.

* * *

  
Adrien sat up the moment he saw Christopher come into the room. He scooted back under the sink a bit more, and squeezed his eyes shut. He held his hands over his ears and he tried to breathe. He tried to disaccociate this seen from him. He tried to take himself out of reality. He didn't want to be here and he didn't want anyone to talk to him.

"Adrien?" The man asked as he slowly caught sight of him. He took small steps into the room and the boy squeezed his eyes shut and focused on Vita. Christopher instantly felt a shiver of cold air and he glanced at the flowers that were on the sink. In seconds they fell from being bright and blushing to dead and withering. He froze where he stood. He got the hint. One more step and he wasn't going to appreciate it.

"Go away." The boy hissed as he squeezed his eyes shut even tighter. He didn't want this man within feet of him. He just wanted to be left alone!

"Adrien my name is Christopher Hughes I as a friend of your father's." Green eyes opened and he looked up at the man's face in awe.

"My...father?" He nodded, a smile forming on his face.

"Yes...I worked with your father and the other Demolition Boys on Operations Freedom and Free-fall." He guard dropped, mystified by the man's honest words. "I was the head of the BBASS and I was their boss in a sense."

"Were...were you the one who killed Senior and set off all those alarms?" He asked as he moved slightly from under the sink. Christopher looked a bit guilty and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well...I had something to do with it." He admitted lightly. It was his gun after all. Had he not been there, Kai might not have had the opportunity to kill the man. "Come on, lets go." He motioned towards the door, and Adrien hesitated.

"Where?" He asked softly, and the man simply gave him his most charming smile.

"Don't worry...I'm here to get you out." Of the room at least. He didn't need to tell the boy that. As long as the child was close enough for him to render unconscious that was all he needed. The boy took an uneasy step forwards, and Christopher caught sight of the chain that Vita was hanging on. He made a mental note not to touch it for any reason.

"Where are we going?"

"There's someone who wants to see you...an old friend who thinks you've stayed here too long and shouldn't be alone anymore." The boy was drawn in by the man's trusting words. Each one was not a lie. He was telling the truth...from a certain point of view.

Channeling Obi-Wan Kenobi and using the force to meld the minds of this weak minded boy seemed to be how Christopher got his kicks these days. He held out his hand and the boy took it. He looked up at him with such frightened green eyes. They were beseeching.

"I want to go home...please...can we go home now?" The man nodded and put his hand on the side of the boy's head caringly.

"Yeah...soon enough." And just like that he struck the overly naiive child and Adrien was unconscious in his arms. He just laughed as he looked at the sleeping boy. "You Abbey kids are always the same...talk about home and you go all gooey inside." Rolling his eyes he scooped the boy up and started to walk back the way he'd come.

* * *

Elsewhere Three was staring at a rather irate woman who had been thrown into his room and was now screaming at him like he'd done something wrong. He sat across from her and listened to her rant and rave and point to the stun gun injury like he could do something about it. It had been fourteen hours since Senior had been murdered and in that time everyone was scambling this way and that to try to figure out what it was that they were supposed to be doing right then and there.

He glanced anxiously towards where Two's cell was, but he had yet to come back. The only thing that had come back, much to his displeasure, was this harpy who was not leaving him alone. Suddenly _he _was the cause of all of her problems and because of _him _she couldn't stay with Two more.

"God, you sound like you're in love with the guy." He hissed at long last, glowering up at her as he tried to close his eyes and get some sleep.

"I am!" At that he snorted and looked over to her.

"You don't even know what he looks like under that helmet. How do you know that he's not some scar ridden hideous freak that has green hair and a barnicel for a nose?" She reeled back at that and gave him a look.

"What?"

"How do you know? You've never even really talked to the guy."

"That guy is my fiance." Three couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Oh really, did he ask you himself?" She glared at him and reached into her pocket. Pulling something out and slipping it on her finger she showed him her hand only a moment later. His eyes narrowed in on the ring that Kai had slipped her all those months before. She was grinning like the cat who ate the canary and he was oddly quiet.

"That man is Tala Ivanov." She said boldly. He looked up at her.

"How can you be sure?" He asked in wonderment.

"His hacks, I'd know them anywhere." He grinned slightly.

"You should take that ring off." He said simply as he rolled over. "You're wrong. That man is not your fiance. Whoever your fiance is...it's not Tala Ivanov...I'm quite certain that Tala Ivanov doesn't even want you in his life anymore."

He expected the first punch, but not the second or third or fourth. He glowered as he rolled over and was about to yell at her when she punched him in the jaw. He hissed, but she kept on hitting him. Over and over again as though it was the only thing that she had on her mind. She hit him and she screamed and cried and yelled.

She was so far at the end of her rope that there was nothing left for her to do but punch and yell and kick, and cry. She was tired of everything and she didn't want to hear it from this bastard. She didn't want to hear his sneers or his feel his glares through that eyeless helmet. She didn't want it.

"I hate you!" She shouted and he just laughed.

"I know. That's what started all of this." She hit him again and again, ignoring those damning words and just kept going. He let her, he too was far passed caring.

"They're going to kill my little boy. They're going to kill him!" He snorted.

"They're not going to kill Dmitri. They need him."

"They still have Kiril."

"Like you would give your life up for a boy you abandoned all those years ago. You don't even know who he is anymore." She punched him once more.

"I hate you."

"I know. And I hate you too...more then you'll ever know."

* * *

  
Twenty hours after the death of Senior Ottilia, Antonio slammed his hand against the wall behind Adrien's head and grabbed the boy by the hair. He had tried working this boy's mind for hours now and yet the boy wouldn't listen to him. He wouldn't listen to him at all. Instead he seemed to have adopted a cool out look on life. He was ignorant and abrasive and he wasn't bothered in the least by all of his threats.

Now there they stood. Standing in a large room. All the boys from the Abbey were there, Kai was slouched painfully in the corner, staring at the scene with growing horror. Mikhail was at his side, trying to help him to even breathe properly. Everyone was staring straight at where Adrien was steadfastly refusing to help Antonio.

The corpses of Senior and that woman he was with were sprawled out on the floor. The man pointed to them and shouted over and over again for Adrien to bring them back, but the boy didn't listen to him and didn't respond. He stood there and stared at him as though he were the lowest form of life he'd ever seen. He stared at him with cold and calculating eyes. He stared at him long and hard, and when he'd stared for so long that it looked like the man wouldn't be able to even think, let alone move without Adrien knowing about it, the boy smiled.

"What the fuck is so funny?" The man snapped as he slapped the boy across the face. The teen didn't seem to care though. He just looked straight at Antonio with unflinching eyes and a steadfast gaze.

"You don't scare me." He admitted lightly. The man growled and went to punch the boy in the stomach when he saw the teen laughing. Actually laughing at him.

"What the fuck are you laughing at?!" Adrien couldn't help it. The situation was actually rather funny. Senior forced him to bring Antonio back to life so that he could fulfill his wish of having his son alive and well. Once he was alive though someone, presumably one of the Officers, murdered the man in his sleep. Now he was the only one who could bring him back!

The only thing was, over the past three days that Antonio had been playing with Kai; he had been in that God forsaken room learning about Vita. He'd been practicing using her just the way Mikhail had said he'd be able too. He knew that she could bring people back to life...but what could he do? What was his special power or gift that came with being a master of a bitbeast?

And he'd found it too. He'd found it. He'd perfected it. He was good with it. It came naturally once he realized all he needed to do was understand the premise of it. It came as easily as moving his hand to write a note. It was second nature now...and that's why it was funny.

This man didn't scare him. He couldn't scare him. He was weak and pathetic and he prayed on children who were easily scared of people like him. He prayed on people who could see past the threats. He prayed on people who had things to be scared of. But what did he have to be scared of? Pain? That went away with time. He could handle pain.

He could never die, and the people around him were safe. He was immune to this man's way of coercing people. He was simply immune. He laughed and shook his head as he looked at the man. Antonio was on the edge of his rope. He'd had the last straw.

"Bring him back now, or people die." Those were the very words he longed to hear. He stopped laughing, turned eerily serious, and looked him dead in the eye.

"Why don't...you try it?" He dared as he looked at his fathers and his friends who all were looking at him like he'd lost his mind. Kai and Mikhail though simply stared at him. For some reason they didn't think he was crazy. They knew just how calm and collected Adrien was about things. They knew he wouldn't do something without thinking about it thoroughly first.

So when Antonio raised a gun straight at Kai's head, and fired, they were ready for it. Kai had half expected to see the blinding light of love and then be brought back just as he was welcomed by his family. Only he didn't. He simply stared at the bullet that had stopped as though by some invisible hand just before his forehead. He glanced towards Adrien who was staring at the bullet as though it was gold.

Everyone was. They could hardly believe what they were seeing. The bullet had just stopped! Antonio blinked and looked at his gun as though it was the problem. Kai just laughed, and Mikhail couldn't help but nod. They'd both figured it out relatively quickly. Adrien was extraordinarily talented to have been able to figure out his gift so quickly.

Another bullet fired. Again it stopped. Another bullet, another life that refused to die. No matter how many times the man shot it stopped. Finally he gave up and tried another tactic. He pulled a knife from his pocket and rushed the nearest kid. The moment the blade was about to impale the child though it stopped and he was thrown backwards. Adrien stared at him calmly, his eyes taking in everything.

"I should probably thank you. When you wouldn't let go...and you were thinking all those things about killing me and my family...Vita pushed you back." Antonio glared at the boy who was walking towards him calmly. "It's when I realized what that meant. She's in control of bringing people back from the dead...and as such...I'm in control of whether someone can even die. You can try all you want. You won't kill anyone of these people."

Antonio glowered and stood before the boy. With a sudden look of grim satisfaction he grabbed the boy's face in his hands and he leaned down.

"Oh...that may be so..." He said wickedly... "But you'd be surprised what you can live through!"

A sudden dash of fear splashed in those green eyes and that was all he needed before he dragged the teenager away from his friends and family who caught the threat only a moment too late and weren't fast enough to get in the way of his departure. The guards were there and they were more then ready to start giving them superficial blows if they dared to do anything stupid.

Kai bit his lip and looked out the window. Mikhail glanced towards him and followed his gaze.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked softly, but Kai didn't have to say a thing.

Two more days until the cavalry arrived.


	27. The Great Escape

**Windstar:** This is the second to last chapter of this arc. I hope this clears up a great deal and also puts some closure on some things. It's been a long ride, only six chapters left of this story! Thanks to all of my fabulous reviewers, I love you all!

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Same as always.**  
**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: **

Obviously since everyone had decided that Antonio was someone that they didn't have to worry too much about and and subsequently decided to ignore him – Kiril would never receive another dose of that antidote. It was pure luck, that the day that they had given it to him last would give them exactly three days to save his life.

That point just happened to be on the now much anticipated liberation day. Not one of the F-Fives said a word about it, but you could feel the excitement in the air. Adrien standing up to Antonio had lit a fire amongst them and they were more then happy to be counting down the hours. Forty-eight...forty-seven...forty-six...and so on.

They asked occasionally if it was really going to be two days or if they were going to come at midnight on the day that was planned. Kai and Mikhail didn't have the answers though. They explained to their new roommates that they were quite out of the loop and didn't have a clue as to what was going on and how it was being orchestrated.

Mikhail was unofficially in charge of Kai though, and he was wrapping the copious whip lashes that adorned his body in disdain. Some of the boys watched in eager silence, waiting and hoping that they'd say something of interest. Still, they didn't know anything, and there was a good chance that it was going to stay like that too.

"God damn you Hiwatari, you look like you were thrown through a shredder." Mikhail griped as he glowered at the man's back. Many of the boys winced when they saw it, their fingers travelling to their own scars. Kai didn't even seem to take note. He just closed his eyes and focused on breathing. Mikhail sighed and set to work. "It gets easier...the pain...you learn to live with it." He tried once, but when Kai still didn't answer he gave up and just focused the best he could on cleaning the injuries.

Kai was a mess right now and he didn't know quite what it was that he should say or do to make things better. Still, every time someone mentioned Senior's death, Mikhail could easily see that deceptive smirk of appreciation into the real demon behind the mask. It had been almost like a life goal since he'd entered this place, that is, to kill that man.

The fact that he was dead was something that would have ruffled the man's feathers if it hadn't been him who'd done it. That very fact alone made Mikhail glad that he wasn't being very audible right now. If he was, he wouldn't trust the seemingly unware man to not say something he shouldn't have. Kai may be perfectly sane in every other way except for the fact that he could barely see straight if he didn't have a very driving motive to do so.

And killing Senior Ottilia definitely counted as a driving motive.

"You're an idiot...and you probably did get someone killed by your idiocy...but I'm glad you're okay." Mikhail whispered softly into his ear. He could have sworn he saw the supposedly younger man nod before he was back to unconsciousness and out like a light once more.

* * *

  
Outside the Temple though, Spencer was on his computer and not worrying in the slightest about the fact that someone could have died recently. In fact, he was sending the emails to over five hundred different people at the moment with a brief overview of what was going on and what the plan was. Ivan was right behind him doing much the same, except he was on a link up and was talking to someone from Beijing about their plan of attack.

They were situated in Kai's hotel room, and were frankly beyond caring about their precarious location. They hadn't been targeted in all the time that Kai had been gone and so they really didn't think that in the next two days the Temple was going to get it's act together and launch an attack on their hotel.

Someone walked through the door and Spencer looked up to see one of his Corps members there. They looked a bit harried and he stopped what he was doing to meet his gaze. Today was going to be a long day. They had an attack planned on the Temple for tomorrow, and as it was the day before they couldn't help but be a little busy.

"What's going on Devon?" He snapped quickly. The man nodded and started giving his report.

"Our sources have stated that there was a massive change in the power structure of the Temple."

"Go on..."

"From what we've heard, Senior Ottilia is dead." Ivan stopped what he was doing and looked up.

"Dead?" He repeated, pulling the microphone away from his mouth so the person on the other end wouldn't hear him.

"Yes. Right now Antonio Ottilia is in charge." The small man looked at Spencer.

"Looks like Adrien really was in charge of that bitbeast Tala was telling us about." Spencer scowled and Devon looked hopeful for a minute.

"Commander Ivanov's alive?"

"Yes, but that's besides the point. We don't know how alive he is. He's well enough to have been sending us messages every once and a while. We just got through and were able to track a few to his LXCom. Right now we need to focus. What else can you tell me about the structure of the Temple? Antonio is in charge then?"

"Yes. From what we've seen, Agent Two has been taken into the Temple's custody. From what I can gather, they believe that he did it. I'm not clear on the details, but my informant says that it wasn't two and that it was in fact someone else who did it. He didn't specify."

"Understood. Contact your informant, tell him that we move out in twelve hours. We strike at midnight tonight. I don't want any screw ups on this. It's been six days since we got that call and I want this thing to be over before they wait one hour longer then they have too."

"Sir yes sir!"

"Ivan, I want you to call in Evac copters, and medical units are all to stand by. Alert the hosptials in the area that we have at least seventy people at are going to be in need of attention. Maybe not care, but a check up on each of them stat."

"Got it boss." The sniper agreed as he started working on that project.

Spencer sighed and looked at his empty cup of coffee. Devon was almost out the door when he called him back. The younger man looked at him in confusion, but Spencer needed to get this out. He sighed and looked back at his coffee. He was going to walk and talk. He grabbed the cup and started to follow his Corps member towards the elevator.

"How's Xander doing?" He asked softly. Devon nodded as the elevator doors closed behind them. He hit the button for the ground floor.

"He's doing alright. Med team took a look at him already and they've cleared him after a few choice words..." He cracked a grin and Spencer just shook his head.

"God that kid spent too much time with Tala and Bryan growing up."

"You're starting to sound like an old man." Devon teased, and Spencer cuffed him about the ears. The doors opened and they stepped into the lobby. Walking across the floor the blonde caught sight of the dark brown hair and ISA flak jacket that were standard issue and had been given to the operative he'd just been discussing after his removal from the Temple.

"Xander!" Dark eyes looked up from where they'd been reading some paperwork and instantly the young man saluted his Corps leader. "What the hell are you doing here?" He hissed as he looked at the brunette.

"I was getting a room that wasn't surrounded by nurses and doctors and pointy things, and was about to order room service." He replied.

He was far thinner then he had been when the mission had started, and he was much less muscular. It seemed like evidence of his long years of training had vanished the moment that he had been captured. There were dark circles under his eyes and an odd tan had formed around where the helmet he wore used to be.

He looked far more cynacle too. It was almost as though he'd stared the evils of the world straight in the eye and he could no longer be fooled into thinking that the world was a good place to live. Spencer stared at him for a long while, taking him in and watching how he stood.

His formerly relaxed stance was very tense, and even though his hands were in his pockets he looked like he was ready to fight at any moment. He was watching everything around him warily. His back was rigid. His jacket which he'd always had unzipped in the past was now shut closed about his chest.

Hiding something.

It was almost as though he was purposefully standing in a way that should have appeared natural to anyone...anyone except for him though. Spencer clenched his fists. The med team may have begrudgingly given him a clear bill of physical health, but his mental health was far from satisfactory.

Like it or not, Alessander was far from being a happy person right now. In fact, even though he had been taken out of that Temple and brought back to the real world, he looked like the one place he wanted to be was that temple. It was a symptom he'd seen in many of the Abbey boys. He remembered distinctly that it was something that Xander had struggled with in the past as well.

"Room service?" Devon echoed with eyebrows raised. The younger man scowled slightly.

"Yeah, food sucked in that place. I wanted something sweet, maybe even some coffee or tea or something else caffinated." Devon snorted.

"Once a caffine addict, always a caffine addict."

"Stuff it Devon."

"Agent Christov, may I have a word with you?" Spencer asked suddenly. Both Corps members looked up at him. The youngest's face fell. "It can be in your room...with room service if you want." He smiled slightly and nodded, but it was clear he wasn't happy about the upcoming conversation.

Spencer led the way. He'd spent nearly half a year in this place, he knew it backwards and forwards. The brunette slid the key into the slot and opened the door. A few moments later he was sitting on his bed staring up at his Officer in silence. Spencer just watched him. He took in everything, how he looked how he sat, how he glanced this way and that.

Already he was making a list of things that he wanted to discuss with the boy. A list of things that were troubling him. A list of things that were wrong. He couldn't keep eye contact. That was the first thing that Spencer noticed. He looked terribly nervous as though at any time something bad was going to happen.

The sunlight was bothering him. He had the blinds closed and the power was never turned on in the room. He hadn't flipped the switch when he'd walked in and so Spencer hadn't bothered too either. He'd assumed the darkness had come with the helmets. Their visual capabilities were only activated whenever Senior allowed them too be. For much of the experience, Xander was practically blind.

His conversations were filled with dry humor and sharp comments that all seemed like Tala had programmed him to say them. He wasn't saying anything that was helpful and he wasn't saying anything that was like him in the past. He was being stubborn and witty and it wasn't very becoming.

Spencer sighed heavily. Years ago he could remember perfectly what this boy's case was when the Abbey was destroyed. Or at least, when he was taken out of it.

He had been completely combative and had fought tooth and nail once they left. He had hated the fact that he was being taken from that place. He didn't know any other life and he didn't know how to live outside of that school.

Spencer remembered that before the Abbey, Xander had come from an abusive family. He was a foster child who had been running the system. One house after another. No one had wanted him until Boris had taken him in. Whatever that situation was that Alessander was last left with, it was enough to make him depend completely on Boris.

He had no life outside the Abbey and he had no idea how to live like a normal person once Boris was done with him. It was the ultimate form of brainwashing. Xander needed someone who believed in him and Boris allowed him to think that he did. So when he was betrayed and almost killed, the boy didn't understand it and he was broken mentally.

He adjusted to the school so well because he knew that in the end he was nothing better then someone who needed to follow orders to survive. Xander needed to believe that he had structure. He needed the life that Tala and the others were offering him. He needed that.

He'd just been imprisoned for nearly a year or so by now. He was there for a long time. His structure was ruined the first day he had been captured and the new environment corrupted his fragile mind. As Spencer looked at his subordinate he could see it clearly. He could see it very clearly.

Sighing heavily he took a seat at the desk and stared his Corps member in the eye. Xander was on the edge of a break down and he didn't have time to fix it. He needed this man to be on his feet and ready by midnight tonight or there would be a huge problem with the plan. He reached out and touched Xander's cheek.

"Listen to me." He said softly, and the younger man was brought to another time and place where an eerily similar conversation had occurred.

* * *

_"Listen to me." Spencer had said as he touched his face. He pulled away, shouting as he glared at the blonde._

_"Leave me alone! I need to go back to the Abby! I'm going to report you! You can't be here! You're not allowed! Leave me alone!"_

_"Listen to me kid!" They'd been at this for hours, but the boy just kept on repeating the same things over and over again. There was nothing that they could do now until the other arrived and that might take a while._

_They'd left to answer the door and Spencer and Ian had agreed to hold down the fort. Still, it was increasingly troublesome._

_The door opened and the three looked back to see Bryan, Voltaire, Anna, and Adeline step inside. Adeline smiled charmingly at them all and Anna gave them quick hugs. Xander took one look at them though and he appeared to almost faint. All the blood drained from his face._

_"You...your dead! Tala killed you!" He shouted, pointing at the faux blonde who tilted her head to the side at the accusation._

_"Sorry to disappoint." She said wryly. Looking over towards Spencer she gave him an inquiring look._

_"Alessander, this is is Anna. She's an intel officer for the International Security Agency."_

_"You're all traitors!" Xander shouted, pointing at them all and crying now because frustration was over running him. The door opened a second time, and Tala and Kai stepped in. There were signs of crying, but that wasn't important right now. Xander glared at Kai with hatred in every part of his body. "You traitor!"_

_"Hello to you too. So nice to see you again." Kai snapped rolling his eyes as he walked forwards. "You might extend your thanks you little cretin. We did just save your life."_

_"Stuff it Hiwatari. Once I get back to the Abbey, Boris will welcome me back with open arms to hear about how you all are traitorous pigs!"_

_"Or he'll just kill you after you give him the information anyway simply because you're an infuriating little worm who needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut." Xander blinked, his jaw dropping._

_"God, did you have to be so blunt about it?" Spencer hissed. "I'm trying to calm him down, not insult him."_

_"What, are you insulted?" Kai asked as he looked at Xander innocently. "Cause if you are, I'll apologize." Just to hear him say it was worth it. The boy smirked._

_"Very. You hurt me deeply." Spencer gave Kai an _I told you so look _but Kai laughed._

_"I'm so sorry ou were born with such a thin skin, I knew there was a reason you were tossed out on the street."_

_"Kai!" Several people shouted, but it had the desired effect. Xander fell quiet and he stared at Kai in horror. He felt as though the rug had been ripped out from under him. Tears filled his eyes. That's not what had happened...right?_

_"Listen to me Alessander..." The boy met Spencer's bright eyes. He needed assurances. He couldn't be abandoned...not again...not again...! "You like the Abbey don't you?" He nodded, tears coming to his eyes. "But you don't like what goes on there...the violence." He hesitated, looked shameful for a minute, but nodded. "The Abbey is going to be gone in less then a week and a half. When it's gone...everyone from the Abbey is going to go to another place. It's a school...run by us...It's not the same as the Abbey...but it's home. We're your family kid...we're not going to abandon you. We'll never feed you to the wolves to die...we're not monsters like Boris."  
_

* * *

"You listening?" Spencer asked again, and Xander nodded slowly.

"Just thinking about how much of a jerk Kai was when I first met him." Spencer smirked.

"Yeah well, he grows on ya." The brunette nodded slowly.

"I...I never saw him again. After they announced he'd died..." Spencer froze, but took a deep breath. He'd read the report on that. He'd also read Tala's take on the situation.

"I'm sorry you had to go through with that..."

"I was worried...after it'd been so long that you all just left. I didn't hear so much as a peep. After that day that Ian was giving out food-"

"Yeah well, that was our way of checking up on you two. We weren't going to leave you for dead. That's not our way." Xander nodded.

"I know, but I was still worried." He took a deep breath. "I can finish up this mission sir." Spencer frowned. "I know you brought me in here to talk to me about if I was okay with this. I am. I read the mission report and the details of the assignment. I know what it is that I have to do." He steadied the man with a serious look. "Please...please let me finish what I started. I can't be taken out now. I need to see this to the end."

Those were the words that he needed to hear. Xander may have been out of it as far as dealing with normal people, and his psychological status was questionable...but he was still capable of handling this. He was alright.

"Then let's show those bastards what we've got. Get ready. We leave at midnight." Xander nodded.

"Sir yes sir!" The board was set for the final match, and right now, the White team was moving in for check mate.

* * *

In the Temple, Three was sleeping on the cot while Anna glared at him from the corner. She was pissed off, but she'd wasted all her energy in assaulting him. It hadn't made her feel any better and right now she really wished she had enough energy to go for round two. She honestly just wanted to murder this fucking sleeze bag right now.

First he completely manipulates Kiril, and then he has the gall to back talk for the rest of the time. And what the hell was up with that stuttering introduction he had? Was he just a complete mental case or what? She was starting to think that they rattled his brains a little when they took him in. She couldn't find one thing that she actually liked about him, and that was grating on her nerves.

Especially because after they'd mutually decided that they didn't like each other, he wonderfully decided to STOP TALKING TO HER.

Pure seething loathing flowed from her body as she glowered across the room at him. For a brief moment she wondered just who he was. Someone from the Abbey. Someone with a child...someone who felt guilty for leaving their kid. None of the Officers most likely. It had to be one of the Corps members. They were the only ones old enough to have children right now.

Kai mentioned something about Alessander right? But it couldn't be him...he was far too sweet of a boy to be as cold and cruel as he was earlier. She sighed and looked towards Two's empty cell. Her heart hurt badly. She wondered faintly where her son was and if he was alright. She wondered if Tala had escaped somehow and was free.

She doubted it. Once again, her attention was brought back to Three. Why him of all people? Why the hell was she stuck with him? She glared at him for a while longer before there was the sound of a door opening not too far away. She looked down the hall and held her breath.

Then just like out of a movie or a miracle was Two. At his side was Dmitri. Two looked rather worse for wear, he was bleeding and had at least one or two broken fingers. Dmitri though...was completely unharmed. He was rattled but otherwise appeared to be fine. Christopher and Antonio were leading them down towards her, and she could tell full well that he was angry. She looked at her Uncle with disdain. She was not happy either.

"Is he sleeping?" He asked snottily as he glowered over towards Three who had yet to move at their arrival. She glanced back.

"Yes."

"Well wake him up!"

"Why don't you just shoot me and get it over with. It'd probably go faster." Not realizing the stinging blow that she'd said he glowered at her and shouted for her to do as he said. The moment his voice raised though Three was moving. He yawned and rolled over, head turned to look at them.

"Oh lookie here. Visitors." He muttered quietly. "How you doin' _Tala_?" He mocked as he looked at Two who snorted slightly.

"Just dandy." Antonio glowered.

"I came to tell you that you should say your good byes." Anna raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Someone slipped up. I just received word that the military is on its way. They're going to blow this place up and kill whoever's inside of it."

"Wonder who leaked that piece of information." Two hissed as he looked at Christopher. The traitor just shrugged.

"Wouldn't have a clue."

"Since you people have an awful way of just coming back to life..." Antonio continued. "I'm going to make sure that your source of reviving yourselves is going to be far away when that happens. You're all going to die down here in the rubble and there's going to be nothing to stop you from being crushed. And I'll just have a souvenir for the road..." He was running his hand through the six year old's red hair suggestively, and his audience stiffened slightly.

Then, Three laughed and Antonio glowered over towards him. His fists clenched as he stared at the helmet, but Three couldn't help himself. It was honestly entertaining him and he couldn't keep his mouth shut. This man didn't understand how to run an operation in the slightest, and he was reaching for straws here.

"What are you laughing at?!" He shouted as he glared at Tala.

"Couldn't do it could you?" Tala asked as he stood up and started to move towards the bars. "You had Adrien all to yourself for hours, but you couldn't make him do it. How does it feel to be bested by a fifteen year old boy? Better then last time. Hell must have helped out. At least he wasn't _twelve_." Antonio glowered, his fists clenching at his sides.

"Shut up."

"Face it. Kai killed you when you were twelve years old, and a fifteen year old brought you back to life, but life's not like what you remembered it to be. Your father's dead now and because you were off seeking revenge he had the time to train and master his bitbeast. Kai distracted you so much that when you went to call on your personal slave he fought back and told you no."

"Shut up!"

"What is it with you and your pathetic family? You can't seem to do anything right. Especially you...your just a fuck up aren't you? A low-life fuck up that has no idea what they're doing. It's been seventeen years since you died Antonio. It's a whole new world, and you're just not up to par. My advice? Put a bullet in your brain before someone else does it for you. Do yourself a favor-"

"I'm killing these god-dammed bastards if it's the last thing I do. There won't be a doubt in your mind that they're dead!" Antonio screamed getting right up in Three's face. He just smiled though.

"You do that. See how it works out. Don't use Miss. Chris over there though, he just doesn't have what it takes. Couldn't even stop someone from killing your sleeze-ball father." That was the last straw, and suddenly Dmitri was hoisted up and Antonio was leading the way out of the room. All the while Anna screamed, shouting for them to stop. Christopher pulled Two away, and he glanced behind just once.

Anna couldn't tell if he was looking at her or Three though...but Three's words echoed in her head. He had purposefully gauded her Uncle into murdering her child and fiance! That bastard! _That fucking bastard! _

"Why would you do that?!" She screamed, and he just shrugged.

"I needed to buy time."

"Buy time for what?! Huh?! What are you buying time for!? My family is going to be killed and it's all your fault! Adrien's gone, Kai's dead, Dmitri and Tala are going to be murdered and I don't even know where Kiril is or if anyone has been taking care of him!" Three didn't bother to point out the flaws to her argument. He wasn't in the mood to.

Looking at the time stamp that was displaying on his helmet's monitor he laughed. It was 0001. Looks like everyone was on the move and starting to head out. All he had to do was wait. It wouldn't take them long.

"Just calm down Anna, we're getting out of here."

"What are you talking about!? No one's coming for us! You heard him, they're blowing us up!"

"Like we're so careless with our missives that we just happened to let him know that we're blowing this place up. Come on, cut us some slack, we're not that stupid."

"What the hell are you talking about?! Cut you some slack!? You're stuck in here the same as me in case you haven't noticed you insufferable little maggot bastard!"

"Just shut up and calm down. Screaming's not going to get you anywhere in life so you might as well put a cork in it and take a chill pill. Everything's going to be fine in a few minutes and you can leave us all alone the way you should have been left alone."

"Fuck you-"

"You wish."

"Shut up! Just shut up! You killed Tala! You killed my son! The only people in the world I had left to hold on to and you killed them! You killed them!" She was crying heavily, tears pouring down her cheeks and Three looked utterly and completely defeated by them. He looked at her and the angry scowl fell and was replaced with a sad smile. He reached out and touched her shoulder, but she pulled away from him. "Don't fucking touch me! Why do you hate me so much!?" He sighed.

"I can't even begin to describe my emotions towards you Anna. It most certainly isn't hate though."

"Well then can we have this chat when you don't have that helmet blocking the blood supply to your brain?" Both combatants turned and stared at the one person who could have made everything better with a smile.

Kai Hiwatari. He was leaning heavily against the door, but he was there. Safe and whole and sound (ish).

"I...I don't believe it....Kai!?" She gasped out. "But...but they said you...you were dead!" He nodded.

"For a little while. Now, can we get going? Schedules and all that." He looked at Three. "Door?" It unlocked instantly. Anna's face was awash with confusion.

"Wha...what's going on...how-"

"You'll figure it out later. Come on. We have things to do places to go, people to see. Let's move." Three snapped as he started towards the door. He put an arm around Kai's back and helped him stand up straighter. Anna felt a sharp pain in her heart. She hadn't even noticed he was slouching and in desperate need for support.

They hurried down the hall, and ran as fast as they could towards the computer room. Anna followed Kai, her eyes locked onto him as she tried to work out what was going on. She looked over towards Three who wasn't being very acomadating with information either. In fact, he looked rather annoyed to say the least.

"You have a gun?" He whispered softly, but Kai just shook his head.

"Told...Mikhail..." He stopped, eye clenching for a second as he took a shuddering breath.

"Kai?" Anna whispered as she reached out to touch him. He looked up at her pitifully.

"I'm alright Anya," He said simply. "Just...give me..." He hissed and his legs fell limp under him. Three caught all of his weight though, and grimaced slightly as he backed up so they were leaning against a wall.

"Spencer I need you to come get us. Kai's loosing it and we need back up." Three announced to no one in particular. Anna spun around to face him.

"What did you just say!?" Footsteps echoed towards them almost immediately though, and before Three even bothered explaining the blonde Oficer was there. He moved forwards quickly and gave Anna a quick glance before checking over Kai.

The semi-conscious heir's eyes were dialated and he was bradycadic. They didn't have a lot of time at all. He looked up at Three who was holding the barely lucid man steady through the observation. Spencer just shook his head and pulled a syringe from his pocket. Before anyone could say or do anything he slammed it into the younger Officer's leg and pressed it down.

Kai's eyes widened drastically and he looked around wildly to see what was going on around him. Three whispered something into his ear and the man nodded blearily. He could barely keep himself focused let alone conscious enough to do whatever was being asked of him, but he could hear the earnestness in the man's voice and he knew he needed to move.

"What was that?" Anna asked as she watched Kai start stumbling slightly to move.

"That was a shot of adrenaline. Until we can find Adrien it should give him enough energy to keep moving. Worst comes to worst we're going to have to carry him. For now he's still able to move and hopefully it'll give us enough time." Spencer replied. "Good to see you again Dama." She nodded and they entered the computer room.

There, standing next to Michaels, was Ian. That wasn't what caught her attention though. What caught her attention were the other hackers, and forty odd students that she somewhat recognized. Amongst them was none other then Mikhail Ivanov though, and her heart all but stopped in her chest as she looked at him.

She didn't have time to say anything, everyone's eyes were on the three people who had just walked in and suddenly the boys had exploded into questions and had started to try to figure out what was going on once more. Three left Kai with Spencer before jogging over towards one of the servers and sitting down. The other hackers looked at him in confusion, not understanding why it was him that was starting it up. They were, after all, better then him by track record.

Spencer glanced towards Anna and told her to start it up. She moved to the computer and turned it on, but frowned when she saw that it was Three that was connecting to it. She didn't think highly of him either and she passed that memo on. Spencer looked at her as though she was crazy and told her to do it anyway. They didn't have time for her to back talk and right now they needed to do this.

So she did as she was told and started to hit the buttons that would send the man into the server once again. The second that he did though, she was assailed with the sudden horrifying thought that she'd been wrong about Three all along. The moment that he'd connected he was doing the most complex hacks she'd ever seen. Her entire database was transferred to another system somewhere else in the world that she couldn't even follow. All of their security cameras and data files were transferred, all of the locations of everyone involved were moved over.

"I don't...how did..."

"He's been doing it for months Anna." Michaels told her softly. "Ian here's been telling me that our friend over there was hacking our servers for months. That's why he wasn't doing well. All his time was spent on something other then his mission. It was taking him longer because he was masking everything he was doing and making it look like he was on task when he really wasn't."

Anna just blinked. She could hardly believed she'd been fooled like that. Still, right now she was glad Three was on their side because she didn't want to know what would have happened if he had been on the other team. They would have been able to use the server for quite some time now, instead of struggling to get it to work.

After a few moments Three came out of it. He shook his head and stood up, nodding that he'd completed his work and that hey could go now. Turning he looked at the children with a big smile. With all the charm in the world he held up a hand and they all fell silent.

"Who here is sick of this place and wants to just head out?" He asked smoothly, and they all instantly yelled that they wanted to leave now. He nodded. "Alrighty. Ivan you and Mikhail lead the way, and take Michaels and Anna with you. Head out towards the exit. You should have a clear escape it doesn't look like there's anyone heading over from that direction. I want everyone to get checked out at the hospital ya?" Ian nodded and Mikhail sighed.

"Guess that's only fair." He muttered as he shook his head slightly. "What about-"

"Kai, Spencer, and I will go find the others and dispatch a certain ass hole we all want a piece of." He continued.

"No." Anna moved forwards, her eyes flashing. "I don't know who you are giving orders like that, but I'm not going anywhere without my son."

"You think so do you?" Three hissed wish a silky sweetness in his voice. "Ivan, knock her out." She glared a the smaller man with hatred in her eyes.

"You do that and you're dead when I wake up you little pip squeak. I'm coming." Michaels moved forwards and took hold of her shoulder.

"I am too."

"Jesus...no. Look, you're already injured and Anna's a pain in my ass right now. She can just wait outside like a good little girl and if she can manage to sit tight for a bit then everything's going to be alright."

"We're not leaving without Dmitri and Kiril so you might as well let us come."

Sighing, Three glanced towards Ivan and Mikhail who both motioned they could handle the kids without anyone else being there. Sighing slightly, he nodded and turned around towards the doors. Looking at the large group that were leaving first, he nodded to them. The hackers were going to help out with guiding the kids to safety. Thy were older and more then willing to go outside instead of staying inside.

Leaving first, the group hurried by, everyone had their eyes opened and looking for the first sign of danger. They didn't want anything bad to happen and they were more then ready to fight if it meant they could finally leave this place.

Once they had vanished down the hall, Three sighed and looked over towards his group. Anna looked at Kai who could barely stand, and she couldn't help but wonder just why the hell Three would decide to leave the clearly injured man with them. It didn't make any sense whatsoever!

The door opened and they all looked up and Anna winced slightly at the sight of her parents standing there. They both had guns in their hands, and they were looking at their small squad with unreadable expressions. All the while they were silent though. As they walked into the room and their group slowly raised their hands up, they were silent.

Then...for some reason...the two turned their safeties off on their guns and they tossed the weapons towards them. Anna caught the pistol in slight surprise. She didn't understand if this was a trick or whatnot, but it was certainly confusing.

"My brother went to get that boy...Kiril? We can show you the way." Her father said softly.

"What...why?" She couldn't help but ask.

"When we left you in Russia all those years ago...we were hoping that you would be able to escape this life. We didn't want you to have to live with this danger and this fear. It is a life we have hated for years. It broke our hearts to abandon you, but we couldn't do anything else. No one could know that we cared for you or you would have been used against us...possibly even killed. When they found you...we could hardly believe how well you'd done for yourself.

"Then everything happened with Antonio and your friend Korg. We couldn't do anything to stop it. Soon you were all my father was thinking about until finally they gave you that ultimatum. Come here and abandon your friends and family...or they would all be killed." Spencer and Kai glanced towards Anna, gauging her reactions. There were tears in her eyes as her father continued. "They set up that car bomb in your car Mr. Brevda." The blonde nodded slowly. "They shot at your friend Bryan...they crashed into Mr. Ivanov and those kids. They even infected your one friend's father with contaminated blood in order to give him cancer.

"We would never have wished this on you...you were our beloved daughter. We didn't want to see you in that pain! I know we failed as parents, but let us at least see to it that you all can be free of this place. Please?" One by one, the group nodded.

They followed the man and wife through the halls. No one spoke, but the closer they got Anna noticed the easier it was for Kai to walk. He was starting to look a bit better too. Still, they moved closer towards the room where Kiril had been kept and when they got to the door, they took a deep breath.

Almost done here.

As soon as they opened the door though a bullet shot out and Anna screamed. Her father fell to the floor, dead. They'd all moved to the side, all of them except for Anna's mother who met her eyes with tears filled in them.

"No..." The younger woman whispered softly, but her mother just smiled lightly.

"I want you to know that I always loved you, my dear, dear daughter." She whispered.

"No don't-" But the woman turned and rushed into the room. A few shots fired from both sides until they heard the unmistakable sound of flesh hitting the floor. Anna screamed as she stared at her mother's corpse, but she didn't have time to grieve.

The woman had managed to knock the gun out of the man's hand. Instantly their squad rushed in and raised their weapons.

"Freeze!" They shouted out.

And there stood Antonio, with Kiril just lying underneath him, staring up at the world practically lifeless.


	28. Marcus's Legacy

**Windstar: **While certainly the longest chapter I've written so far, it's also the most disturbing. I have a warning on this chapter if only for the fact that there's going to be a lot of crap that's creepy if not utterly shrink worthy. I'm not going to cut the chapter in half to post the warning before and after, just know that it's going to be there and that you should proceed with caution. On that note, things are finally explained, and everything's going to make sense at long last. The poison, what the hell Xander's doing on the outside, the identity of Two and Three and more. This is going to be one tipsy-turvy chapter, so pay attention because things are all going to be made clear.

A huge shout out to my only reviewer last chapter: FlamingIce94, it means a lot to me that you care!

This is the final chapter of this arc, and the next arc will continue on to the end. It's tentatively being called the "healing" arc, and that's where all the hugs and cuddles and the much needed rest comes in. It's been an angsty ride so far and I'll have a few more blows coming up but no where near as dramatic or traumatizing. Thanks once again!

**Disclaimer**: Same as always.

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: **

Anna's heart broke in her chest when she saw Kiril lying brokenly at her Uncle's feet. After her parents' deaths she couldn't help but feel terrible. Everything seemed like it was falling apart and she couldn't help but feel completely and totally useless as she stared at the terrible sight.

The man was holding the boy's arm in his grasp, his eyes murderous as they bore into the group of various ISA officers and F-Fives. No one would make a move while Kiril was so close to the man. It was a simple matter of course. They didn't want Kiril to get caught in the cross fire...he was already hurt beyond belief in the first place, there was no need to make it worse.

The normally active and happy child, that she remembered, looked so lost and forlorn. His eyes were filled with water and there was a slight tremor running through his body. He looked horrible. Anna felt tears welling in her eyes at the sight. She had seen many horrible things in her life, but the continual torture of the child she thought of as a son was something that had shattered her heart wholly and completely.

After months as a prisoner, her grandfather had successfully broken the child's spirit. He offered no resistance as the man tugged him up so his slim body rested against his chest. The teen's hair hung into his face, his forehead was matting with sweat. He looked like he was about to pass out any second...or perhaps he was already unconscious and his body just didn't know it yet...regardless, he needed to be held steady as Kiril's legs could not hold him upright on their own.

"Uncle Tony..." She whispered to the man, her voice cracking as she stared. Three was at her side easily enough, his body oddly tense as he stared at the scene. She could hear him pulling the hammer back on his trigger, and she wondered if he was one of the F-Fives that was a kill shot...would he be able to kill the man without harming Kiril? She didn't know, but her eyes glanced to him for a brief moment before looking back at her kin.

"Let him go Antonio." Three commanded his voice like ice. His eyes drank in the boy's image, not one thing was left out in his mental assessment. He stared for a while at the tell tale track marks that had been the site of injection every three days. They turned his stomach as he stared at the child. No child should have to know what that was like...no child should have such scars on their body. Especially not _this _broken child.

Sweet little innocent Kiril who had been shot brutally and thrown off the balcony had fallen clear into _this _gentle man's arms. This gentle man who wanted nothing more then to murder the bastards who had dared to do what they'd done to that child. Then during those first three days without the antidote, it had been Three who had gently held and rocked the child whenever he'd been able too.

Anna had done it as well, and sometimes they worked together, but in the end it was that drug that saved him. That antidote that had been given into his blood stream. He was forced to live off of that drug, and as time dragged on and the pain grew worse. Kiril's sweet and gentle nature was completely obliterated. He was gone, vanquished from the world.

He knew only to obey. He knew only to nod his head and do as he was told. He never argued, he never talked back. He did everything he was told to do. He lost that fiery spirit that had constantly forced Tala to argue with him. He was a shell of his former self. There was nothing in him now except for the blank and empty carcass that quietly held his arm up so that he could live another day.

Who knew when that day would come when he didn't want to live any more...who knew when the day was that Kiril would not offer his arm...and he would die in pain?

"No, I don't think so. He is my insurance, and I'm not so great a fool that I would just hand him over! As long as I have him you all will be forced to play by my rules!" Antonio shouted with a gleeful smile of insanity. He was right, and they knew it. None of them would risk harm to their special child. The moment he was safe, that man's life was forfeit.A brief fading thought flashed through Anna's mind...where was Tala and Dmitri? Were they dead already...?

"He's just a boy; you have no need for a boy. He can't do anything for you." Three continued, his voice as calm as ever. It was as though he hadn't heard the distinct threat that the bastard had said. It was as though he was ignoring the danger of the situation. Slowly he took a step forwards, his gun still rose directly at the man.

"He'll keep me alive that's what he'll do!" The man hissed, holding the boy ever closer. He was glowering at Three who took one more step towards them. He was closing distance between them, and the man didn't like it. Anna cut in now, her eyes wide as she tried to convince her kin to release the innocent child.

"Please Uncle, you've already lost...don't hurt him any longer! He's just a child!" She whispered. She tried to keep herself assertive, but she couldn't help the passivity that was in her tone. She was terrified.

Kiril was shaking noticeably now, the tremors had increased so badly that he was practically seizing. A trail of spittle leaked from the corner of his mouth as shaking hands reached up blindly to grip the man's shirt. His brown eyes were pleading. He knew better then to speak...he'd been punished horribly for that, but he needed this...He was begging with his silent gaze for the drug that would stop the pain.

Three growled low under his breath at the sight. The man was pulling all the strings on this one. Only he knew the poison and its antidote now that Senior was dead. Only he could save Kiril's life. The bastard's hand slipped suggestively around the teenager's body, pulling him somehow closer. Kiril's mouth was on his neck, having been placed there if only to piss people off.

Everyone was forced to watch the grotesque seen. Kiril being treated as no better then a sex slave to this bastard was enough to make everyone tense and fume hatefully. No one could do anything though. If they advanced any closer...Kiril was as good as dead....

"You see? He is my willing slave and servant. Completely complacent to my will. He would do anything that I asked of him..." He pulled a second gun out of a holster on his belt, his original still resting on the floor, and pressed it against the boys mouth. Quivering lips parted, and the gun was slid down his throat. The child wavered weakly, his eyes slipping closed at the humiliation. He couldn't even be bothered to gag.

"Fuck you, you son of a bitch!" Someone hissed darkly.

Antonio smiled suddenly and pulled the gun out of the boy's mouth. Instead he slid it into the child's hands. He turned the weak and quivering child so that he was aiming the metal weapon straight at his loved ones. Blank brown eyes stared up at them, barely able to see and barely able to piece together just what was happening in the world around him. He was teetering slightly, but Antonio's arm was still wrapped so _wrongly _against his body and held him steady. The man made sure the boy still was aiming the gun at Anna and the others. On his face was constantly that sick smile of one who truly believed that they had won not only the battle, but also the war. "Yes...this boy will do whatever I ask of him...even kill." The hammer was drawn back, and Kiril just stared blankly.

Three wondered if he could even see.

It would have been funny. Seeing the sixteen year old raising a gun against them as he was shaking from pain and suffering from need. It would have been funny to see the child actually try to shoot. It would have been downright hilarious....except seeing the dead and broken look in that poor child's eyes was anything but funny. Kiril probably couldn't even recognize who exactly he was shooting at right now. He probably couldn't differentiate between friend and foe. To him, all he needed was that antidote and then he wouldn't feel the debilitating pain any longer.

All he needed was that antidote...sweet reprieve.

Kai clenched his fists. They had hit a road block. None of them could physically bring themselves to hurt Kiril, and so they needed the bastard holding him to stay alive. Yet with Kiril aiming at them, there was nothing they could do. They could turn and leave...but then the child was still trapped in the man's grasp...forced to do whatever it was that he wanted to do to him.

Kiril's hands were shaky though. He wouldn't get a good shot off like that. If he fired that gun, it would fly clear out of his hands. The recoil would be too powerful for him to maintain it. After that moment, they'd have a small window of opportunity. They could step in and try to save the boy. It would only last a few seconds...but they'd have time.

"Papa?" The boy's soft voice cracked as he whispered blearily in confusion. He didn't seem to understand what was happening. The gun was shaking harder now, and it was starting to point downwards – away from the group. He blinked quickly, becoming lucid for a brief moment. He tried to get focus back into his eyes, and it was clear that he wasn't seeing well anymore. He couldn't center his attention...why couldn't he center his attention? He didn't feel good. He didn't feel good at all.

His stomach was churning in his body, and he felt as though his blood was on fire. None of that compared to the pounding headache that was burning brutally. He winced and shakily raised one of his hands to touch his head, but instantly it was grabbed and forced back into position on the gun that he barely realized he was holding.

By the time his muddled mind finally became aware that he was aiming a gun, he was assailed by a memory of his uncle teaching him gun safety. He could practically see him now, standing in front of him. The first gun he ever fired was a .22 Remington bolt action rifle, and he loved that gun. He remembered the slightly stunned look on Bryan's face as he shot it a few times. He was a natural marksman. He hit the bulls eye almost every round.

_When you hold a gun,_ he'd said, _never put your finger on the trigger unless you're going to shoot._

He remembered asking why, and Bryan laughed slightly. He took the rifle from him then and he aimed it at their target. It was a bullseye of course, but that wasn't what was so surprising. Bryan kept his finger on the trigger as he pulled back the bolt and readied the gun once more, and while it was still pointed upwards, the gun fired suddenly.

Kiril had yelped as he ducked instinctively, but Bryan had been sure not to point it at his young nephew. Instead it had put a nice hole in their ceiling. The boy looked at it for a long while, and Bryan glanced down at him.

_You can seriously hurt someone you don't want to hurt if you keep your finger on that trigger before it's time. Keep the safety on until you've marked your target. Do you understand?_

And he did.

But...who was his target? Who or what was it? His fingers released the trigger and forced the hammer back into position so the safety was clicked in. Ottilia frowned at the sight, he didn't think the child really had it in him to disobey him. He honestly believed that the boy was far too out of it to even think about disobeying him. After-all, he was barely able to stand – how could he think about arguing?

"I am your father." He whispered, answering the boy's plea with his own warped manipulation. The teen froze. Images that came unbidden to his already confused mind, and slammed into his brain. Images of a dark man that called him the Prince of the World...images of a bastard who was going to die....images of his brother asking him if he'd go to the man's last meal....all these images slapped him heavily in the face, and he let out a shuddering breath. He tried to focus, but he couldn't, he was shivering too hard now. His breath was coming out in short gasps. He shook his head, fear flooded his veins. "I'm your father Kiril...do as I say...."

_When you have identified your target, ease the safety off gently._ There was Bryan's voice again; amidst all the darkness that was over powering, there was that familiar and gentle voice that always calmed him. It was strange; thinking back on it all...Bryan never scared him. Maybe he did for a few seconds, but in the end, Kiril had always felt safe with his short tempered uncle. He'd always known that the man loved and cared for him...he would never let anything bad happen to him...he would never let this happen to him. Tears started to slip down his cheeks.

"Kill him." The man ordered a bit louder so that everyone could hear him. He pointed straight at Three who barely made any notice that he heard the death threat. "Kill the man in the mask."

Finally though...Kiril just gave into the dark desire that had plagued him for years. He gave into the sinister voice in the back of his head that was always telling him that he should have murdered that hateful man when he had the chance. That hateful man in the mask that terrified him to no end. That hateful man that had murdered his mother and tried to kill Adrien and Tala. He gave into that dark, dark, temptation.

"Alright." He whispered wearily, his voice cracking once more.

_When you get ready to shoot...put your finger on the trigger and hold your breath._

Suddenly he wrenched free from the man's grasp and whirled about. Antonio gasped and tried to get away, but he'd never have the time to do so. The teen levied his gun with lightening fast movements. That bastard "father" of his would never have a chance to move. That nightmare would never have the chance to take another breath.

_Then fire._

"Kiril, no!" Someone shouted, but it was too late. Amidst all the darkness in that teenager's mind, the one thing he knew he had to do was to shoot his gun and kill his father. That was what he was told to do. That was what he was told to do! He was told to kill the man in the mask; this man said he was his father! He had to kill his father; he had to kill his father!

He had to.

He had to.

He had to.

Hehadtohehadtohehadto!

The teen fired the gun, and the man's body jerked roughly. He teetered, his eyes wide with shock. Then he crashed onto his knees and fell to the ground, dead. Or at least...that's what it looked like. Three snapped forwards and caught the teenager as he started to fall backwards. When he looked at the man though, he could tell that the trajectory was off. Kiril couldn't have shot that killing blow. It was completely impossible.

Then another shot filled the room. Everyone flinched at the sound. Another loud bang echoed, then another and another and another until the entire clip was emptied. Three looked up quickly, trying to figure out who had made the shot, and he stared in horror at the other teen that everyone had been so worried about.

Adrien was standing there. His own gun in his hands. He'd killed the man without even blinking. All Kiril had done was skim his shoulder. Adrien had been responsible for the man's death in the end, and from the hateful look in the boy's eyes it was clear that it was done to satisfy his own grudge.

The brunette looked terrible though...he was covered in dark bruises, and his hair was matted with blood. There were cuts running down his arms and a long line went across his face. He looked like someone had tortured him...someone probably had. Three had guessed as much from what he'd heard.

"Adrien?" He yelled up, the young teen was on the balcony above the room and had shot that bastard so that Kiril wouldn't have the blood on his hands....it was the kind of thing that Adrien always said he would do. Protect every bit of Kiril, even his fragmented soul. Still, in the condition that the brunette was in right now, Three couldn't help but wonder if the younger teen could have accidentally shot his brother in the process, and there was the nagging thought that it wasn't for Kiril that Adrien had fired...it was for self gratification.

Upon investigation, he let out a sigh of relief – Kiril was completely unharmed in that aspect. He was just in a daze. Looking back up to the young teen who was such a big part of the boy in his arm's life, he watched the other waiver ever so slightly. He was in dire need of help as well. Kai seemed to take the idea to heart and started taking the stairs up to him two at a time. Anna blinked. _What the hell?_ He hadn't been able to do that a few minutes ago...

"Are you alright?" The heir whispered as he took the boy's face in his hands. The cut across his face just missed his eyes, but that was the least of the teen's problems. He was so completely pale. He may have simply been weak after everything, or he could have been going into shock. He'd just killed a man!

"I-yes." Adrien looked up at him with such steadfast agreement, that Kai just nodded. For now at least, Adrien would be able to keep his wits about him. That said nothing about later...but for right now he was doing alright. "How is he?" The brunette asked wearily as he looked down on the sight below him. He didn't even care that Kai was pressing the boy's body to his chest and that Vita was touching the man. He didn't even care that Kai was feeding off of his presence like a leech. Right now he was just so tired he didn't care about anything except for Kiril. It was the only thing he'd ever cared about anyway.

Kiril was motionless now. Even as his family started to crowd around him, he simply stared blankly up at them. He didn't move a millimeter. He was simply deathly still.

"Chiro?" Three whispered softly, as he shook the boy in his arms ever so slightly. The child reacted to that, one hand reached up, soon followed by the second. Weak fingers slowly pushed the helmet like mask off the man's face, and dark eyes stared up at the man who was holding him.

Anna gasped loudly when she saw the hair falling from its containment. Blue eyes were next visible, and she stared in awe as Tala Ivanov's face became focused before her. The last time she'd seen him he'd been almost childlike in his appearance. He still had maintained the youth of his age and he looked little better then a mature teenager.

Then again, the last time she'd seen him officially had been that plane crash. She had tended to his wounds and tried to get him to feel better. He clung onto her with childlike need, ignorant of how he was acting because he yearned for her contact. She had shattered his heart so completely and thoroughly in that one moment. She'd murdered her dearest one's sanity because she needed to leave.

She could still hear him in the back of her head. She could still hear him begging her for answers. He was bloody, broken, and bruised, and yet he recognized her despite her disguise...and he was only concerned for her. Tears filled in her eyes as she thought about that.

Now he looked different. His baby face had matured greatly, and much to her surprise there was little signs of the crash on him. The only thing she saw was a great burn mark on his wrist where – she froze. Where a wolf tattoo used to be. The burn was there to hide the tattoo and destroy any identifying markers she might have seen on him.

His hair was shorter now, probably cut once he had become a member of the Temple's hackers. It was just to his ears in an odd mushroom cut formation. His eyes were still as beautiful as ever though. Even while they were filled with concern they were gorgeous. Just as she remembered them being...just as she recalled. She couldn't help herself, looking at Tala made her fears and worries disappear. Looking at him, she felt her heart sing. She felt like she was on top of the world. And then she looked at Kiril, and her heart fell back to earth where it belonged...there was nothing to be happy about in this moment. Even as nice as it was to see Tala there...Kiril's tragedy was far, far worse...and after everything she'd said to Three and he'd said to her...their dream world was gone for good. She knew it.

"Papa?" The boy whispered brokenly. The man nodded, holding him close. He had long since realized that there was a difference to the child in his arms. 'Father' was a term used specifically for Boris Balkov. His blood father. 'Papa' however, had been the child's way of taking their old term of 'Bropa' and making it into what he truly thought Tala was to him. His father in every way, but blood. This child honestly believed that Tala was his papa. This child honestly _needed _Tala to be his papa. Tears filled the boy's eyes as he stared up at the man he loved so deeply that it hurt sometimes to try to keep his attention. "I want to go home now." He said quietly, holding on to his brother's shirt tightly.

"You got it buddy. You got it." He told the child in his arms. He gripped the boy's thin...no...emaciated...body closer to him. He'd been practically starved to death. No one bothered to feed him, he was simply kept as that bastard's thrall of all things, and it only made Tala seethe in deep and painful anger.

"L-Luka...? You-you were..." Anna didn't seem capable of being quiet anymore. She needed to confirm for herself what she was seeing. She needed to bask in the irony...Tala Ivanov being Three of all things. A number he loathed considering his time on the three! She didn't look like she was going to be able to breathe right as she stared at him. Tears were flowing down her cheeks, but he didn't dare turn around to look at her. He didn't dare meet her gaze.

"Yeah...I told you not to worry about it when you thought I was dead." He told her sarcastically. He slipped his arms under his brother's body and made to lift him up into the air. All the while he kept his back turned pointedly away from the girl that would have been his fiancé. He had noticed, of course, that she was still wearing the ring he'd intended to give her. That didn't make him feel all that much better. It'd made him smile slightly, but in the end it really hadn't improved his mood all that much.

"Adrien, are you alright?" Kai repeated his question to the brunette who's focus was entirely on Kiril. He looked like he was going to pass out any time, and he sagged heavily against the railing of the balcony.

"Yes, sir." He replied as he pushed the safety on the gun and released it to the started to make his way towards the stairs, but Kai caught his arm and gave him a stern look. The teen sighed heavily, and nodded. "I might need...some help getting down though, sir."

"Oh you think so, do you?" Kai muttered sarcastically as he placed a gentle hand on the back of the boy's head. "We'll take it slow ya? What hurts?" Surprisingly wet eyes looked back up at him.

"Everything." He was pulling a brave front, but it wasn't going to last much longer, and Kai knew he needed a hospital as soon as possible. Whatever had happened to this boy had been enough to break his pride clean in two. He gently placed an arm around the teen's small shoulders.

"We're going to get you home alright? You're going to be alright." Adrien nodded weakly into the hug, and allowed Kai to deepen it. The man held the child to his chest once more, all the while whispering sweet nothings to him. The boy desperately was craving for such attention. He needed it. He'd been lost in shadow for so long, that he needed to have Kai tell him that everything was going to be alright.

Down below, Anna was still trying to figure out what was happening. She didn't understand. How could she understand? All this time she was led to believe one thing and then everything changed so drastically! And the hacks! They were nowhere near the level that she'd assumed Tala had...then again that had already been proved wrong...hadn't he been sending information the whole time to the ISA without her knowing?

"If you're...you, then who was..." Anna still seemed to be a drink behind, all the chaos of the day coming full force with no intent to stop was doing nothing to help her focus. She couldn't figure out what on earth hat just happened. All she knew was this man with his back to her was her beloved, and there was someone who had supposedly been killed that was supposed to be him! So who had died?!

"Me." She looked up to come face to face with Bryan. She could hardly believe what she was seeing. The falcon blader was standing there with Dmitri on his hip, both completely safe and sound. Dmitri looked like he was taking a bit of a nap, and was snuggling to his would-be uncle's shoulder. For his part, Bryan was gently holding the boy to him with such protection in his stance. He was being so completely gentle and kind to the boy that Anna could only stare, gaping like a fish.

"But..you..." She didn't know what to say. Bryan wasn't savvy with computers, and to mimic Tala's movements would take an extraordinary amount of brain and will power. Not only that...but she'd seen him and Two together at the same time! She'd seen Bryan with Kai and Spencer! He couldn't have been Two! It was impossible!

"I switched out with Xander, who was the original pilot, about a week ago." He explained briefly. Dmitri groaned somewhat and snuggled deeper into his shoulder. Bryan rocked him sweetly, with all the experience of one who had been brought up with children. "Xander returned to where we'd set up shop and delivered all the evidence he'd collected to Spence. I fit the kid most in size and build, so it didn't take much to make a convincing switch.

"When Kai went after Senior, Tala was going to go make sure he got it back safe, but if anything happened to him we wouldn't have any type of help or intel from our end and so I told him to let me go instead. I went after him and brought him back to his cell. I never made it back to where I was supposed to be on time. They caught me and tried to kill me, but couldn't…for some reason...Then they handed me off to Christopher just because Tala said not to, and once Antonio had left the room Chris undid my bonds and led Dmitri and I through a secret passageway that led to here." From behind him Christopher emerged looking bashful. Kai rolled his eyes.

"For someone whose been dicking around with us for the past few months you certainly are a friend when we need you to be. Fuck were you thinking doing half the things you were doing?" He snapped as he got closer to the group, Adrien sagged into him tiredly. He glared at the man who shrank back slightly.

"I've been working as a double Agent for years now, I had to make it believable. If they thought that I was on the wrong side of the coin then I would have been killed." He defended quietly. He wasn't proud of his actions, but they were what he had.

"Well the next time you decide to brand us all with fire irons, do it when we're not conscious ya?" He smiled weakly.

"Sure thing."

Anna was still having a hard time processing all of this. Christopher really was helping them? All this time sweet little Xander had been the pilot!? She could hardly believe it! Xander was such a good hearted young boy! He shouldn't even be on missions! He was just a child! A child that was raised to be a part of the ISA. A voice reminded her. She shuddered. She remembered those arguments she had with Tala when she was trying to get him to see that she wasn't right for him. They'd failed, miserably, but she remembered them anyway.

_He's just a child!_ She'd screamed at him.

_He's an F-Five child! _He'd snapped back.

_Only barely, he was so young when all of that happened!_

_It doesn't matter, this is the life he was born into!_

Xander had chosen that life too it seemed. She shuddered. What else had happened in this world that she had missed? Kai had eloped with Adeline and had two little children waiting for him back home, Kiril was almost as tall as she was, Bryan was so good with children, Tala was – she closed her eyes. She missed so much.

"At which point we'd all moved into position and started our raid. Tala used his LXCom to help us get in undetected, and the rest is history." Spencer had continued on even though she had mostly spaced out. She looked up at her old friend and she felt as though she'd missed so much. Her heart was breaking soundly in her chest.

Not too far away, Tristen Michaels was staring at them all in awe. The kids he'd seen grow up through the years, were phenomenal. He could hardly believe it. When he'd first met these kids he hadn't thought all that highly of them. He certainly never imagined Tala to position himself as the head of the special forces of the ISA. He couldn't imagine what had happened to make the teen he'd known want to accept that job...although perhaps he'd become comfortable doing the missions.

Sadly, Michaels realized that if he hadn't involved any of the kids...if he'd just done it the way he'd been planning on doing it – without the help of the children of the Abbey – none of their lives would have turned out the way it had. Tala probably would never have thought about leading the ISA's special forces. Bryan and Spencer probably never would have joined the ISA. Kai probably would still be the heir to HE, but that was a birthright more then anything else. He shivered suddenly at that thought. He did not want to think about what would have happened if he'd never taken Boris down. That was a nightmare that was thick in his mind.

Looking at the kids that weren't kids anymore, he could honestly say that they were experts in the field now. They had created a flawless plan and had executed it with practiced excellence. Their sting had worked wonders, and they had successfully completed their mission. All that was left now was to destroy this building and to get the captives home.

His blood froze at that. Things hadn't worked out completely flawlessly. After-all...Senior and Antonio were dead. Their entire family was dead, but they were the only ones who knew what the poison and antidote sequence was for young Kiril. His gaze fell on the weak child who was fading fast in Tala's arms. The boy was dead without the antidote. After all of this, he couldn't bare to see that child die. It would be too much.

Anna was still in a state of shock though. She blinked a few times as though she was confirming for herself that Tala was there, standing (alive) right in front of her. It had been so long...too long....she felt her heart break as she glanced up, and at long last met his eyes. Only it wasn't the loving gaze she remembered; they were, without a doubt, completely dead. His eyes were locked in a cold, emotionless, and loveless stare that pierced through her heart as she met his gaze.

"Luka?" Tears filled her eyes, but he barely could bring himself to move, let alone say some comforting words that were supposed to be meaningful. He didn't want to talk to her.

It surprised him at first...that feeling of emptiness. After countless years of pain and misery, after searching relentlessly – often incurring physical harm, after being blown up, cut up, and branded, after loosing any semblance of a relationship with his baby brother, after fighting so long and so hard...he found himself not being able to care.

He could only stare at her, and he felt _nothing_. He didn't know what he expected, but hearing his name on her lips did not make him feel better. It did not make him smile. It did not lighten his heart.

Suddenly, with Kiril dying in his arms, it didn't matter any longer. The wait wasn't worth it. The struggle meant nothing. He didn't care anymore. She wasn't beautiful to him. She was just a cause of deep pain and misery now. She was just an instigator of darkness in his mind.

He found himself growing, suddenly, very bitter.

Anna felt it too. She felt her eyes fill with tears. Tala wasn't the same person she thought she knew. He was much changed from that boy she'd grown up with. He was older, and more jaded. He was not her dear lover. He was Three. Apart and separate from the world she left.

He was tired. At the end of all things, he was tired of the chase. It wasn't worth the price. Kiril's life wasn't worth it. Closing his eyes, he felt his subconscious click in. Almost on auto-drive, he turned away from her.

He turned and walked away. Kiril's head lolled back into his chest, and he mewled softly. His fingers twitched, and his brother gently whispered softly in the boy's ear.

"Hush now dearest...go to sleep. Get some rest." he walked passed Anna, stumbling slightly as he tried to steady himself. Anna felt the tears spilling over and falling down her cheeks. Tala just couldn't care any longer.

"Luka, we need to get him to the hospital." Kai murmured as he placed his hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Yeah...I know." He answered back, his blue eyes echoing the deep and emotional loss that was in his hear. "Time to go." The red head commanded, and the others nodded. Kiril needed help, and fast. They didn't have time to dilly dally. Still, he barely gave Anna a glance as he started to walk past her and towards the door. The woman looked to the ground. She knew well by now that there was going to be a long struggle between them.

Kai helped Adrien walk, the boy looked very sickly by now and the man would not see him fall behind. They walked quickly and briskly. Spencer slung Michael's arm over his shoulder to assist him as they moved, Christopher on the other side. It was the least he could do, and it was more for Spencer's peace of mind then anything else. Anna had retrieved Dmitri from his pale haired uncle, and Tala carried Kiril. Bryan stayed behind for a few moments though. There was something that he needed to do.

As everyone started to file out, Bryan knelt quietly beside the body on the floor. He reached out and ensured that the man was in fact dead, and glowered slightly when he felt the stringy pulse. Bastard was still alive. He smacked the man heavily across the face a few times, and bleary eyes opened and stared up at him.

"The antidote for Kiril. Where is it?" He hissed as he forced the man to look up at him. Antonio laughed, it was weak, but it was the laugh of someone who knew he had won despite the fact they were dying. There was nothing that he needed to do. They may have defeated his family's plan, but it didn't matter. They would have lost their dearest little _prince_.

"Why should...I tell...you?"

"I'll give you a nice painless death." Bryan groused as he leaned over him. One of his hands went to the bastard's fingers and started to pull one in the wrong direction.

"You're going to torture me...for my last minutes of life?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'll...still...die..."

"Yeah, but at least you'll die with one less secret to hold on to." Bryan smiled as he snapped the fragile bone. The man hissed.

"Bastard!"

"I'm not the one who tortured two little boys just to motivate half a dozen hackers to destroy the world!" Bryan's voice was like ice. He was furious. Not only was Kiril probably an emotional and mental mess by this point, but Adrien looked like someone had put him through a meat grinder.

"So you're just...going to torture me?!"

"They're sixteen! Adrien's not even sixteen, he's fifteen! You tore that _baby _to shreds!"

"He des-" This time it was his wrist that was snapped. Ottilia screamed, sweat poured from his blood was still pouring out of him, and it was a miracle he was even still alive.

"Don't you fucking say he deserved it. Tell me! What's that antidote? What'd you give Kiril!?"

"Fine...you want to know what your little prince is on?"

So Bryan listened, and his heart froze in his chest.

* * *

The others were walking out of the complex. Limping, and assisting, and needing some assistance they walked. They were tired, and exhausted, and everyone was just wishing the trip would end. Adrien had sweat beading down his forehead. His breathing was weak and strained. He was fading, perhaps, far quicker then Kiril.

Or rather, it seemed that way because of how quick his decline was visible. Kiril was practically unconscious in his brother's tender hold. Physically the he was breathing weakly, but that was truly the only obvious change in his demeanor. Adrien was the one they were starting to get worried about.

When they finally reached the outside world, Anna could only blink at the sight of Xander and some of the other Corps members waiting patiently for them. The other hackers had been freed long ago and they were being treated by an EMS squad.

"Commander Ivanov!" Alessander called out as he moved forwards to meet them half way. He ran quickly, his eyes taking in the group and the casualties. One of Michaels' arms was hacked away, but that was an old injury that Xander knew about long before.

His attention had first gone to his commander. The both of them had gone through unspeakable horrors as the initiation into the Temple. He knew full well what the man had gone through, and the nightmares associated with it. So he had gone first to Tala to make sure he was doing well. Upon seeing that he was in fact as well as could be expected, he looked to the child in his arms. He didn't have time to start analyzing that mess just yet.

"Xander, call it in and ready the med team with a heli-lift. We have three soldiers down-"

"I'm alright sir!" Adrien called out, interrupting the red head. Tala turned and glared at him long and hard. Adrien didn't look well enough to swat at a fly let alone do anything else. It was laughable to think that he was alright. Kiril, him, and Kai were all going to get checked out. Michaels needed a doctor too, but his arm didn't take precedence over the fact that barely any of the others could move.

"Three soldiers Adrien. You're getting checked out as well whether you like it or not, so deal with it and pipe down back there." The teen nodded sullenly, biting his lip. Tala hadn't meant to be harsh towards him, but it was a simple fact. Adrien needed assistance, and that was that. Kai squeezed him close to his side for a bit of reassurance, and flashed him a smile.

"Right away sir!" Xander saluted before turning and making his way back towards where the EMS squad was. He started to make a call on the walkie-talkie at his shoulder even before he arrived. They needed an air lift, and that was what they were going to get.

Some of the EMS members had come to start looking them over upon seeing that there were people they could poke and prod. Kiril was mewling in pain quietly, trying to muffle his voice so the others wouldn't hear. They would though, and he knew it. Still, his very blood was burning in his veins and he didn't want the others to know. If they knew there was a very good chance that they were going to take him away, and right now he couldn't handle being away from his brother. He needed to stay there with him.

Tala frowned as he felt the boy in his arms struggle to hold onto him. He glanced at the child for a brief moment, taking him in and trying to figure out if there was anything that he could do to make him feel better. Right now he honestly doubted he could do anything. A few people were looking towards them as though trying to figure out how to proceed, and he tried to smile to show that it was alright, but he couldn't. He was unconsciously holding his brother closer to him in an attempt to keep him safe from any more fears or nightmares that may come out. It was foolish, he knew, but it was the only thing he could do at the moment.

Xander glanced back over to them, knowing eyes understanding as he looked at the child in his Commander's arms. Before the switch had been made, it had been Xander who had been there to see the child tortured. He'd been there to see it all, and he hadn't liked it one bit. It had made his heart cry out for vengeance. He had seen the way Tala had held the child to his chest lovingly, trying fruitlessly to get the boy to calm down and feel even a slightly bit better.

The boy hadn't been able to do so. He had clung onto his brother, unknowingly, and had cried out in continual pain. Xander couldn't repress the shudder that ran down his spine. All he could think about was what would happen if Kiril didn't get the antidote again? What if Kiril actually died because of the poison in his veins?

Then he was forced to recall the times that they had been forced to watch as the confused child was beaten horribly. Countless times, Alessander had thought about breaking position in order to assist the boy he considered a little brother to him. He hadn't though. He knew that if his superior could stay still while the teen was screaming in agony, with like blood running fiercely through their veins, he could stay still as well. Now though, his heart broke once more at the sight of the young boy mewling in the Commander's hold.

"Xander, how are you doing?" Spencer asked, looking over the various Corps members quickly before focusing his attention solely on the brunette. He was worried for his subordinate. This had not been an easy mission for him, and the only reason the younger man had been chosen was because of his ability with computers and how close in size and appearance he had gotten to Bryan. No one had expected the ruthless treatment that had been done to either of the two captives. Spencer could still remember the sight of the brand that had been placed cruelly on the man's chest.

"I'm...alright sir. I'm worried about my little brothers sir." Xander replied, biting his lip. Michaels was getting herded off towards an ambulance, and two Corps members went with him to make sure he actually came back this time. While the Corps members didn't understand truly what was so important about Tristen Michaels, the Officers had made it clear that they watch over and protect him. He was someone that they wanted to see again, and he was a dear friend of theirs. The Corps weren't about to just ignore their Commanders and so they made sure to keep track of the man. There would be no kidnappings or disappearances now.

Tala gently placed Kiril on the ground, he knew by now that physically there was nothing that could be done for the boy. They needed an antidote for the poison, and that was the only thing that would help him. Bryan had arrived by now, looking pale faced and miserable, but few people really paid him much mind. They were all focused on the child that was laying on the ground with his brother who was still leaning over him and making sure he was all right.

Anna watched the gentleness in which Tala was showing his little brother, and she couldn't hide the fact that it calmed her soul to see that they had such a genuine relationship. She was worried for some time that her vanishing act would harm them, but it seemed to have only brought them closer together. She didn't think she'd ever heard the boy call her beloved 'papa' before. Yet he had, and it was all the proof she needed that they were all still very close. She hadn't affected them in that way.

Bryan had pressed her son into her arms as he'd walked to investigate her father's body, and Dmitri was only know starting to wake up and realize that a lot of things were happening in the world around him. He started staring at all the people he'd never seen before in hushed awe. He turned in his mother's arms, trying to see what was happening and what was occurring around them. Anna frowned and told him to be still as he stirred around more and more frequently.

"You find anything?" Tala asked as he looked up at the falcon blader who was staring at him with such misery in his eyes. He nodded slowly and pulled out the syringe that contained the antidote. There were a few vials of it...more then Tala had thought the man would be able to get. He let out a sigh of relief. With that many...they'd have time to figure out what it was so they could make it permanent. "Do you have the poison too?" Kiril blinked up at his brother in a daze as he heard that.

"Yeah...I have it all." Bryan muttered. Kiril turned his head and saw the liquid, and his brown eyes widened.

He lunged forwards with more strength then anyone would have given him credit for. Bryan instinctively took a step back, but it was needless. Tala caught him around the waist and shoved him to the floor. Kiril was all but clawing to get out of his brother's hold. Tala held him firm though, forcing him to stay on the ground even as his blue eyes widened with deep concern and worry. He turned to look at Bryan who was barely moving. Kiril managed to punch him clean in the face as he took his eyes away, and Tala glowered down at the upstart. Shoving him once again into the dirt, he pinned him there.

"Hey! Stay still Chiro, I need you to stay still!" He hissed, actually struggling to hold him down. Kiril was fighting harder and harder, and Tala was soon starting to realize that despite their obvious size differences, Kiril was actually putting up one hell of a fight.

Bryan hadn't gotten any closer. Instead he'd frozen in his tracks, eyes staring at the fluid that was in the syringe. He hadn't wanted to admit that Ottilia had been right...he hadn't wanted to admit how much sense everything made. Still though, it was impossible to deny what was right in front of him. It was impossible to deny that the horrible truth was right before him.

"Like an addict." He whispered, even as his skin grew all the more paler.

"Bryan! Give him it so he'll calm down!" Luka shouted, physically pinning the child to the dirt where the boy struggled and bucked. He didn't seem capable of something like this before hand, but now he was full of frantic clawing and biting.

Kiril was drawing blood from his brother's hands and arms. He was breaking through skin, and Tala was fighting all the harder to keep the boy he thought was so near death under control. He could hardly believe the level of strength the child was exhibiting, this was ridiculous! Only a short while ago the boy had been _dying_!

Kai had looked over from where he'd been standing by the ambulances. Almost instantly he shot over, running to help. Anna was staring at the scene with wide eyes, unable to understand what was happening to the sweet and gentle child that had been wishing to go home only moments before. Dmitri watched with utter fascination, falling completely still as he observed the scene. Tala's arms were bleeding badly now as Kiril kept tearing into them.

"Luka, knock him out. I can't give him this." Bryan whispered quietly. His head was down, and his hands were clenched around the items he'd received from that bastard inside. He was happy that he hadn't followed through with his original plan. He was happy he'd made that bastard suffer until he drew his last breath. He was also happy he could honestly tell Adrien that he hadn't been the one to kill Ottilia. That's one thing that boy wouldn't have on his hands. Bryan had gotten the last blow in, and he _liked _that.

"What the hell are you talking about Bryan?" The red head shouted as he caught the boy by the waist when he tried to get up. The child screamed and clawed at him once more, but Kai caught his arms and pinned them down.

"It wasn't a poison and antidote combination that he was given Luka." Bryan whispered softly. He looked at his brother with a miserable expression. There was no way he could say this without destroying his dear friend with such sadness in his eyes. "It's that drug they were making. That bastard gave Kiril enough of the drug so that he'd become an addict. Every three days his body was craving it. That's why he kept needing it so much...he was addicted to it. It wasn't poison...it was a pure form of opium that they cut enough times to be basically herion and was mixed with God knows what to make him like this. He's no better then Marcus right now." Bryan whispered quietly. Everyone was trapped in stunned silence.

If Bryan gave the boy the so called antidote, he'd just be enabling the addiction to continue. Kiril showed all the signs of an addict, and the only thing that made the situation worse was how it had been forced upon him. He hadn't chosen, as Marcus had, to become an addict on this drug. It had been thrust upon him.

He was forced into the drug world, and it worked so well on him because of his rapid weight loss – another sign of drug work. He was susceptible immediately. He was hooked on the first doze, and the only thing that they could do now was wait it out. They would have to have the drug leave the teen's body...

Marcus had died though. He had died when they'd tried to force the withdrawal from this very drug. All those years ago they hadn't understood. They'd tried to wean him off it, and they'd failed. Marcus had died. Kiril was as _good _as poisoned. Except that if he continued to take the fabled antidote, he would die too. There was nothing that could be done.

Kiril Ivanov was going to die.

Tala stared up at Bryan, leaving Kai to continue to hold down his brother, and without so much as blinking he whipped around and punched Kiril as hard as he could - sending the boy into sweet unconscious. He fell completely limp and then and only then, did the emotionless mask crack, and Anna Jones saw tears flooding down his face.


	29. Carpe Diem

**Windstar: **Finally starting off on the last arc of this story. I hope you all enjoy it!

Special thanks to Mika for being my 100th reviewer!

**Disclaimer: **Same.

**Chapter Twenty-Eight:**

As they sat in the hospital, no one talked. Tala had his head in his hands and he was steadfastly refusing to look at anyone. He just needed to think. Bryan and the others who'd been on the outside weren't injured. Kai though had been taken off to be looked at. No matter how much they tried to explain the situation to the doctors and nurses, they insisted his unsteadiness could be fixed and whisked him away.

Adrien was taken off in the same direction though and so it worked out the best that it could be. Kiril was resting in the bed in front of Tala, sleeping off the effects of a sedative as they tried to figure out a way to keep him alive. The redhead was trying to think, but he wasn't getting anywhere. As far as he knew, there was nothing that he could do about this.

A little hand touched his, and he looked up slowly. He blinked at the bright blue eyes that were staring up at him. Taking in the tiny baby face he couldn't help but force a smile. The boy was trying to make him feel better, and it was working...somewhat.

"Do you want a hug?" The boy asked sweetly in Italian, his head tilted somewhat.

"Why do you ask?"He replied in the boy's language.

"Mama-Annie says that if someone's sad you give them a hug. You look sad!" The kid explained lightly. Luka reached out and gently put his hand on the child's 's head.

"You're a good kid you know?" The boy smiled brightly.

"Thanks!" He put his hands on Tala's legs and pushed himself up. The Commander grimaced slightly and just picked up the boy and helped him settle. It was better then having the child continue to knee him in all the wrong places. "My name's Dmitri, what's yours?"

"It's Luka." He introduced softly. "Or Tala, either one you prefer really."

"I don't like either." He blinked once, twice, and then cracked a small smile. He was so stressed out that this boy was starting to make him feel better just because he was playing as a distraction.

"You don't? Why not?"

"They're girl's names." The boy replied patiently.

"Oh really?"

"Mmhmm...are you my daddy?" He asked at long last as he looked up at the Commander. Tala sighed softly, his arms wrapping around the boy and giving his son the first hug he'd ever give him. The boy's little arms wrapped around his neck. "Mama said I looked like my daddy."

"You do." He admitted easily. "I'm sorry...I wasn't there..." He said softly, feeling foolish as he apologized to a six year old.

"I'm not mad." Dmitri smiled. "I just wanted to know." He looked over to Kiril. "Is he my brother?"

"What did your mother tell you?" Tala asked softly, unconsciously taking in each breath in time with the boy in his arms. He used to do this with Kiril when he was this small. Hold him and breathe in time with him. It was almost as though he were convincing himself that he was still alive. Dmitri snuggled closer to him.

"That I looked like my dad...and that I had an older brother that my dad was close with. She said that he's not my dad's son, but he was always like his son."

"He's my younger brother." Tala explained lightly. "He was just a little younger then you when our parents died. I adopted him and have been raising him since then. Your mother helped out. She adopted him with me. On paper you could be siblings, in reality he's your Uncle. You can call him whichever." They never really worked out a good nickname. 'Bropa' worked for Tala, but any other combination just sounded freakish. Dmitri nodded and swung his legs as they dangled.

He really was a tiny thing. Even though he was six he could easily pass for three. Tala still hadn't stopped hugging him, and the boy still didn't seem to mind. It was almost as if they both understood they were making up for lost time. They were drawn to each other.

"So you are my dad?" The boy clarified as he yawned slightly.

"Mmhmm..."

"Annie says you were from far away. R-something?" He didn't even think on the fact he'd just called his mother by a much more childish version of her her first name. He was a creature of habit after all.

"Russia."

"Where's that?"

"It's...hmm...north of here. Do you know which way is north?" The boy giggled and pointed in front of him. Tala glanced out the window. Pure east. He shook his head. "Nope." The boy frowned.

"Yes it is! You're wrong!" He grumbled.

"Oh really? Why do you say that?"

"North's always in front! It's on the map. It's always in front of you." Tala couldn't help it. He laughed. The boy glared at him, and he laughed harder. The boy was already perfecting the blue eyed glare. Somehow he knew his progeny was going to eventually get one of those.

"So if I turned you this way..." He picked up the boy and spun him about so he was on the other leg. "Which way is north now?" The boy opened his mouth and was about to point in front of him when he crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.

"I already said!" Tala nodded.

"That you did. You see the sun right now?" He asked as he moved the boy back so he was facing the window. The child nodded as he looked out it. "It's early...dawn just broke not too long ago...the sun always rises in the east. Through the day it travels more southwards until finally it rests in the west."

"So it's never north?"

"Never."

"So...North is that way?" He pointed to the left and he nodded.

"You got it kiddo." There was a knock at the door and Tala looked up. Bryan was standing there. He wasn't happy either. "Hey...why don't you go find your mother alright?" He whispered into the six year old's ear. The boy frowned.

"I can't stay with you?"

"Not right now. In a little while okay?" Dmitri sighed and nodded. He slid off the man's lap and slowly started towards the hall. The moment he was gone Bryan shut and locked the door and turned to face Tala.

"You want to tell me how the fuck Mikhail and Michaels are both alive? Or how Antonio Ottilia was brought back from the dead?" The redhead sighed slightly and ran a hand through his hair. "Or how about why no one told me about this before hand?"

"You knew about Michaels."

"Bull shit. I was fed a cheap ass lie, I want to know the truth! Mikhail's seven years younger then us!"

"I know. Where should I start?" Bryan just glared, and Tala shifted awkwardly. Wherever it was, it was clear it was going to take a while.

* * *

  
Kai was sitting up in bed his eyes sliding to where Adrien was standing not too far away. He'd just been given the low down on what had happened to his child over the past twenty four hours, and it had made his heart bleed. The boy had a severely broken arm, there were contusions and abrasions and all the wrong place, and there were signs of...another type of abuse that he didn't even know how to bring up.

Despite all that though, the teen had refused to be apart from his father figure, and he was standing in the room with him. Mikhail was there too, looking at his son and then back at his brother every once and a while feeling completely and totally foolish.

Nobody knew quite what to say. In fact, the silence just grew and grew until it was something that had amassed over them. Nobody could say what exactly had happened or where they were going from here. Spencer knocked on the door after a while and slipped inside.

He looked at everyone and patted Adrien on the head.

"How you doing Junior?" He asked lightly. The boy smiled at him, a forced smile, but a smile none the less.

"I'm okay...how bad's the school?" Spencer sighed and took a seat next to Kai's bed. He hadn't talked to them about what had happened yet and he figured now was the best time to do this.

"It's pretty bad. After the attack, Adeline's been funding a massive rebuilding effort. The dorms that were salvageable have been renovated and put back together the best they could be. The ones that weren't are being rebuilt. Since it's been so long since the attack took place there's been a lot done to fix things. Still, it doesn't look like it'll be livable for another seven or eight months."

"Seven or eight months..." Adrien whispered softly. "That long?"

"Yeah...Ivan's been running around keeping tabs on all the kids. They're doing okay. A few of them went AWOL a while back, but he managed to track them down. They're not enjoying being away from home."

"I can imagine. Those procedures kept them safe though. Still, I'd be surprised if they didn't all leave as soon as they had the chance." Kai sighed and sat up more. He reached towards his arm and pulled the nutrition IV drip out of his arm. He stretched slightly and cracked his neck a bit. Adrien winced, looking away. He didn't like thinking about what that same neck looked like when it really had been cracked clean through. "Where are we going from here?"

"Tokyo looks like. Our government is taking over the case. We have our files and documents and we'll appear in court. Right now though, they don't need us to do anything. I was on the phone with Tyson and he said he has more then enough room for us at one of the BBA's hotels for bladers. Adeline and the kids are there too...I thought you'd like that better then being away."

Kai had fallen eerily silent at the mention of his wife. His eyes went downcast and he licked his lips. Mikhail followed his gaze and watched as the heir's fingers ran an invisible circle around his ring finger.

Kai didn't even look happy. In fact, he looked almost as though he wanted to argue against that arrangement. Adrien stood up straighter and announced that he was going to get something to drink. He left the room without another word, leaving his father figures to stare after him in quiet silence.

Spencer sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair. He looked at Kai for a minute and felt a bit like punching the idiot. With a monumental effort though, he didn't. Instead he forced himself to just sit there and wait. Mikhail had already noticed that Kai was feeling rather blue about seeing his wife, now it was time to figure out why on earth he was so down about it.

"She'll notice." Kai whispered without having to be asked.

"Notice what?" Spencer questioned after a few minutes.

"She'll notice the fact that I'm different." He glanced towards Mikhail who sighed.

"And she'll hug and kiss you and screw you and I'm sure you'll feel better in the morning." He said simply. "She's the mother of your kids Hiwatari, and you haven't seen her in months...are you seriously going to just disappear out of her life because of your insecurity? At least give her the chance to tell you off so you know for sure."

Kai couldn't help it. He cracked a grin. He caught sight of Adrien walking back towards them looking miserable. There was no doubt that he'd correctly assumed what his foster father's problems were. Still, Kai knew Mikhail was right. They needed to do this. He needed to see his wife, and he needed to see his kids too.

"Come here kid...you look half dead." He invited when the boy walked in the room. The teen gave a half smile and sort of shrugged. Kai frowned. "I'm not asking because I want Vita near me. I'm asking because I want you to get some sleep."

"I didn't think-"

"Yes you did." Both parents snapped at once. He looked flustered for a moment, but nodded slightly. A few moments later he was sleeping soundly and the rest of them tried to get some rest too. They'd be leaving in the morning.

* * *

Anna was sitting outside of Kiril's room when Bryan came storming out. She looked up at him and was about to say something when he just kept on walking. He didn't stop. He just kept on going without wanting to talk to anyone. He didn't _want _to talk to anyone. She looked down at her hands as she bit her lip. Dmitri was playing with something or other at her feet, and she sighed heavily. Glancing inside the room she saw that Kiril was still sleeping.

Michaels walked towards her and handed her a cup of coffee. The hospital had declared that there was nothing they could do for his injury and moved on to more pressing matters. His arm would have to stay the way it was for now. She thanked him quietly and he nodded.

"How're you holding up?" He asked her lightly. She tried to smile, but it came out weak.

"I spent the better part of the past year flirting and throwing myself at a boy that I scarcely knew while the person I was in love with was slowly starting to hate me only two feet away. I'm holding up just fine."

"How's Kiril?" She glanced back to where Tala was sitting. His eyes filled with quiet sorrow. They were running out of time. He looked like he was running over all the possibilities on what they could possibly be doing. Occasionally he'd close his eyes and the tell tale sign of him using his LXCom flashed across his face.

"He's in good hands." She whispered softly.

"You should be in there too." He told her, levelling her with an intense stare. She sighed.

"He doesn't want me in there."

"Who? The boy who's unconscious and has no say in the matter since he can't even argue the fact, or the man who is in sore need of someone to be with him right now? Because I think that either won't argue against you." She shook her head.

"No...he doesn't want me to..."

"Who doesn't want you to? Your family is dead, your son is safe, and everyone's going home soon. Which one of those people don't want you around? Didn't Kai tell you that Luka only did this so he could see you again?"

"And look what's happened! He's turned around and said he hated me! He doesn't want to talk to me. He doesn't need me in his life. Kiril doesn't even want me there. I've done nothing but ruin this family."

"Your son deserves his father, and he deserves his son. Are you just going to leave? Taking that boy with you?" Michaels snapped as he looked at the little redhead who looked up at the discussion. Dmitri frowned. He crawled around their legs and looked into the room where a bright pair of blue eyes were looking back at him.

He smiled and waved, and pale fingers waved back. Even if the two adults didn't know that Tala was listening in, the little boy certainly was aware. Excited to have the attention of his newly declared playmate, Dmitri started to make his way into the room.

"It's not about me taking his son away from him, I won't do that!"

"Then what on Earth is your dilemma about going in there and being with your other son?"

"It's not a dilemma it's about them not wanting me to be there!" Tala sighed. He got the point. Picking up the little one and balancing him on his hip, the child giggled in his ear and snuggled closer to him. He started forwards and moved towards the door. An instant hush fell over the two combatants.

"If you're going to argue about whether or not I think you belong in your_ son's_ hospital room you honestly don't or at least_ didn't_ know either of us very well. Get in there and stop whining." He snapped bitterly. Michaels adopted a rather satisfied look, and Tri giggled from his father's shoulder. Anna simply looked dumbfounded.

"But..." Then she saw her little one. She looked back at the floor, paralyzed with the fact that she hadn't even known that he was gone.

"But nothing, and since you can't seem to keep an eye on Dmitri long enough to even notice when he starts wandering off, I'll just take him with me. I'm going to have a word with the doctors." The look in Tala's eyes were expectant, and from down the hall Ivan watched on in silence.

"Ah...I'll...stay here then..." Anna murmured, chastised.

"Do whatever you want." Luka grit out as he started down the hall. Dmitri waved over his shoulder as they vanished into nothingness.

Anna gave Michaels a look that was all but declaring_ I told you so_. Michaels couldn't help it. He sighed and shook his head. There was simply nothing he could do at this point. Anna wasn't understanding what it meant to truly be a mother, and Tala wasn't keen on passing that information on. It was clear the man was more then a little stung after the events that had transpired.

Still, even Michaels had to admit that for someone who claimed to love her children as much as Anna did, she was making a great many mistakes. A great many. She only saw her son once every two weeks since he was born. That fact alone attested to her abysmal parenting skills. In fact, they were down right awful.

If she knew how to actually raise a baby then she wouldn't have done half the things that she was doing now. All she knew was how to treat a child kindly. That seemed to be it. There was no doubt that she loved her children, but she didn't know what to do or how to actually care for them. It seemed that after she'd left, Tala had learned that the hard way. He had to be both mother and father, even if he sucked at both – he still needed to know how.

"You should have gone with him." Ivan suggested when she sat down besides Kiril. She looked back at him in confusion.

"What? He told me I should be in here."

"He said that if you didn't know where he thought you belonged then you didn't understand him. You don't. You should have gone with him." Michaels nodded in agreement. "They were going to talk to the doctor about the kids and about Kai and Kiril. If you'd gone with him you would have shown that you wanted to know more about Kiril. You weren't just standing vigil- you were trying to do what you could for your son."

Anna cried. She just didn't understand what it was she was supposed to do anymore.

* * *

The plane ride existed in an eerie silence that made everyone uncomfortable. It was something that had started ever since the discovery that Kiril was going to die in three days for good had been made. No one was quite certain what to say about that, and everyone glanced at Adrien as though he was the answer to all their problems. The teenager wasn't going to do it though, and he said so with a definitive voice that made most everyone bristle with anger. Still, they controlled themselves…or at least they tried to.

Despite the fact that Adrien was the master of life and death, his stead fast refusal to bring anyone back from the dead had made Bryan stiffen with such a passionate hatred and anger that it was almost comical to see his reaction to everything. He watched in stony silence as Adrien lay in the first class seats between Kai and Mikhail. Both of them looked like guard dogs that would snap at anyone attempting to go near him.

Kiril sat beside Tala, quiet and contemplative as he clutched his Bropa's hand. When it came down to the wire, and the boy had been declared critical, Tala had made the call and Bryan had given the teen the drug that would extend his life for another three days. No one bothered to argue with the redhead, his eyes were deceptively calm and talking back would only earn his ire. He was not someone who was to be trifled with. He had every intent in the world on making sure that Kiril was going to survive. He just didn't know how.

"What do you want to do?" He'd asked once the kid had woken up.

"I just want to go home...be with my family..." Kiril had responded. And that's exactly what they had done. They'd gotten on a plane and left for Japan. The school was still out of commission and so Japan was the next best thing. Voltaire was flying over as well to be with them. Still...it was a sad flight. That was for certain. Almost everyone believed that the teen was going to die, and that was where the trouble lay.

Just behind Tala and Kiril sat Anna and Dmitri. The little boy was sleeping peacefully, ignorant to the pain in the world around him. Anna looked ready to cry, but she was controlling her emotions for the most part. Michaels sat next to her, a presence that she sorely needed considering the pure hatred that seemed to roll of Tala so easily now when it came to her. Spencer and Ian were behind Adrien's row and they looked like they both were sucking on something sour. Their expressions were bitter and they didn't quite appear to know what they were supposed to do or say.

"I don't get it Adrien, you spent your whole life proclaiming that you would protect Kiril from anything, so why are you just going to let him die?!" Bryan shouted after the silence persisted in the plane for far too long. They young teen shrank back, looking away slightly. The man had sprung to his feet, unable to sit still a moment longer.

He couldn't take the quiet looks and the meek expressions one second more. He needed to shout and that was that. The rest of the plane looked up at him as he began his tirade, all the children that were returning home for the first time since their kidnapping appearing uncomfortable as the fight began. They didn't know what it was they were supposed to do, and they also didn't even know which sides they wanted to be on. Tala had ordered them all to stop asking Adrien to bring back the dead, and they'd followed his command. They understood it...but Bryan didn't.

"Drop it Bryan." Kai ordered softly, taking a deep breath and just appearing too spent to want to care about anything anymore. He was exhausted and he didn't want to have this talk. Especially in front of all the kids. Adrien glanced at him gratefully, and he gave his hand a gentle squeeze. He knew that the teen to his left didn't want to have this talk either. He was exhausted and in pain and he was suffering too much to want to do it.

"I will not! Kiril's going to die and it's all his fault!" Bryan shouted, pointing at the teenager who flinched badly at the accusation. He glanced towards his friend, green eyes shimmering with water. He didn't want Kiril to die anymore then the next person.

"It's not his fault Uncle Bryan." Kiril whispered softly. The falcon wielder spun around and stared at him in shock. He could hardly believe that those words had even dared to come out of that boy's face. How dare he?! He was fighting for him! How dare he turn around and act as though everything was alright. "It's Senior's fault. So leave him alone. Don't pressure him anymore. He's hurting enough as it is." Kiril's voice was subdued, and he didn't bother to look up at anyone. Bryan couldn't handle it though. He glared towards Tala who sighed deeply. He knew that this argument wasn't going to drop. Blue eyes glanced up towards his third and awaited the tirade's continuation.

"You're seriously okay with this?! You're okay with that little punk ass kid to just let your brother die?!" He shouted, his voice was straining, all the while he pointed accusingly at Adrien who looked like he'd rather the plane just opened up a hole and dropped him through it. At least then he'd have a quick death instead of whatever it was that Bryan seemed to think was appropriate at the moment.

Then again, he doubted that Vita would let him die. His heart pounded in his chest. He didn't want Vita to do anything though. He didn't want anything at all to happen. He just wanted this whole thing to be over. His shoulders shook slightly, and he raised a hand to his throat where he felt as though the chain he wore was starting to suffocate him. He gasped for air, but the comfort didn't come.

Kai leaned towards him, and pulled him into a hug for a moment, pressing the boy's chest to his own. The feeling faded almost instantly, and Adrien felt as though his heart would break. Why did Kai have to take Vita's powers from him in a way that made him feel comforted? Why couldn't this simply be a business transaction instead of the constant manipulative game of Kai needing the energy and Adrien feeling as though someone cared instead of the simple fact that no one did. Even Bryan had stopped caring at this point.

"Of course I'm not okay with this." Tala replied evenly. "But if Adrien never wielded that angel we would be talking about a way to help Kiril, not let him die, and torture Adrien until he brings him back. I personally would rather see Kiril not die at all, and all this talk of letting it happen isn't going to get us anywhere. Adrien has no obligation to bring anyone back from the dead if he doesn't want too, and it's stupid to dwell on something if we can try to prevent the need of it in the first place. We can talk about this when we land though, so let's just calm down and put this off to a point when we're not all stressed out." That was Tala's subtle command to drop it, and Bryan knew what he was being told, but he couldn't just drop it. He couldn't! This was someone's life! A life that he knew well! He wasn't just going to sit back and wait!

"But he'll survive if Adrien brings him back. We've tried to help someone survive this and we've failed – in case you've forgotten – if Kiril dies, Adrien can bring him back! He won't really have to die!"

Mikhail sighed and Kai released his trembling nephew slightly as he glanced back at Bryan, ready to wage war it seemed. Mikhail took over and pulled the boy back, so that he was resting at his side. One glance up at his former best friend and he knew that this battle was going to wage on for a while. There was nothing to be done about it. It was just simply how Bryan was. He just wasn't going to let this drop.

"It's not a life I would wish on anyone." Kai said softly, and Mikhail nodded, breathing in his child's smell as he nestled the boy's head closer to his shoulder. He wanted to keep being close to his son but right now he couldn't do much more then he was already doing. He knew that there was going to be trouble, but he just wanted to keep the boy away from it as much as possible. That's all he knew, and that's all he cared about at this particular moment.

As if on instinct, Adrien's hand slipped into Kai's and Bryan felt a stab of hatred towards the child. It was almost like a master manipulator – he had easily brought the great force of Kai Hiwatari to his knees. Felled by a simple revival, the man seemed to want to prostitute himself for this boy's happiness. It made Bryan sick to his stomach. How dare he?!

Somehow the little brat had made Kai his loyal servant. No longer the position of a friend or uncle, now he was oddly subservient towards Adrien, and watching the young teen with the two men on either side of him made Bryan flare with anger. This was not the Kai he knew. This was not the Mikhail he remembered. These were just pale shadows in comparison that were led around like zombies because of the foolish debt that they thought they owed this brat!

He snapped his hand out and grabbed Adrien's arm roughly. For a split second he'd forgotten about the teen's injuries. He'd forgotten about how the boy had been so unsteady on his feet when they'd first seen him again. He'd forgotten about how he'd desperately clung to Kai even while he'd feverishly called for his father to be with him. He'd forgotten about how he was in a great deal of pain and that the arm he'd grabbed was completely and totally broken.

He had been so honestly forgetful that he was truly surprised when the boy yelled out, trying to pull away. Instant tears had started to form in the child's eyes and he could see the pain the child was in as he'd wrenched him to his feet. He held on though, despite Mikhail and Kai's instant appearance at his side. He held on though even tighter and he forced the boy to stand up because he wanted to exact revenge on this brat. He wanted to punish him for his cruelty.

"Now is not the time or place for this Bryan." Tala commanded darkly. He too had gotten to his feet, and Kiril had followed. Shortly after that Spencer and Ian and Anna and Michaels were all standing. A fight on an air plane was not exactly the smartest thing in the world for them to be doing, and the Commander would not see them all crash. He was having enough trouble as it was on this flight and he didn't want to go through another trauma because of his brothers' idiocy!

Bryan simply held on tighter, now out of complete spite towards his companions. Adrien's face was pale and beads of sweat had started to form on his brow. He struggled to release his broken arm, but it was to no avail. Not once did he dare to utter a word though. Somehow he knew that would only infuriate Bryan more.

"I want this hypocrite to start taking responsibility for his promises. He promised his whole life that he would take care of Kiril and make sure nothing would happen to him. What, now that daddy's back you don't think you need to uphold your promise because it's his job now?! Well that's not how the real world works you little shit. You can't just bring who you feel like back to life and not keep up on your promises. Then again, considering how you've manipulated the system and made them both your little toting servants I don't know if I trust you to do shit. You're just a complete and total fuck up aren't you? You don't follow you're promises and you dick around with the people that you are indebted too!"

"I didn't want to bring anyone back to life!" Adrien finally grit out. The man glared at him, squeezing his arm tighter simply because he wanted to see the boy in pain right now. Kai and Mikhail both shouted at him, telling him to let the teen go, and Tala looked like he was ready to drop his third if he kept it up. No one was very happy with the situation and it was only getting worse. "They were going to kill everyone! They were going to kill every one of the F-Fives if I didn't. I didn't want them all to die! I didn't want Senior to kill all my friends and family because of me!"

"So you're just going to let Kiril die because no one's holding a gun to your head!? Because I can rectify that!" He dared to actually move to grab his gun from its holster and Tala snapped out and disarmed him before he even had a chance to blink. The Air Master soon found his own gun aimed at his head and Bryan actually sneered. "You're not going to shoot me. You depressurize the cabin and we go falling to our deaths, only this time there's not any convenient birds that'll fly you to safety because all of them would be defective at that point. You'd just be killing us all." The red head flinched and lowered the gun. Everyone knew he wasn't going to shoot. That wasn't the point. The point was the fact that he'd actually aimed the gun at Bryan's head with the intent to shoot.

"Bryan, sit down and shut up. Can't you see you're hurting him?" Kai hissed as he glared at the man. Adrien was struggling to keep on his feet, but Bryan's hold on his arm was doing more than just staying there, it was holding him up too and that in of itself was painful enough.

"What, you're on his side on this?! Why?! Because he's your savior? Got to repay a debt? That little brat's just manipulating you into thinking you owe him anything!"

"Because you're being an ass hole you fucking dick!" Tala snapped as he glared at him. "I can promise you that I don't want anything to happen to Chiro, but you don't see me torturing a fifteen year old child, who's terrified right now, just to save his life!" Kiril squeezed out from around his brother and moved to Adrien's back. He put an arm around the teenager's waist and pulled him up so he wasn't standing completely. Considering how weak Kiril himself was it was a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by anybody. The brunette whispered a soft thank you, and Kiril nodded before looking at his Uncle.

"Let him at least sit down if you're just going to continue screaming at him, he can't stand up!" Kiril snapped.

Bryan glowered at the boy in his grasp, disbelieving that everyone could possibly be on his side on this. The kid was tearing up involuntarily, and he could feel the broken bone shifting in his grasp. A part of him relished in it, but a much much larger part of him reminded him that this was Adrien! His little Adrien that was his greatest pupil and was so skilled and talented. The little boy he looked after year after year. The boy that had stood vigil over Kiril while they had all left to Arabia, the child that had been so honestly caring and considerate that he was always worried about. That Adrien!

He couldn't keep up his hold…he let go, and accepted the fierce shove that both of the child's father figures gave him. Kiril helped guide Adrien back into his chair, and the younger teen hugged his broken arm to his body meekly. Kai and Mikhail were at his sides in an instant, and Kiril backed away slightly, just managing to fit in the aisle with all the other crap that was going on.

Then…Adrien spoke.

"I won't bring back Kiril or anyone because if I did his soul would be fractured. One piece would be left behind in the land of the dead. He'd live life shattered, feeling torn apart, and unbearably empty. His senses will be dulled; life wouldn't seem natural or acceptable. He can reject the world, suffer and die anyway. That's not a life that I would wish on anyone, especially not my best friend. Kiril is like a brother to me, I wouldn't just wish him dead for anything…but I'm not capable of bringing someone I care about back from the dead. I didn't…I didn't know what would happen with Kai and Dad. I didn't know that that was what it was like. I didn't know that people were capable of clawing themselves to death because they couldn't accept the world with a fractured life. Of the eight people I brought back, four of them died within the week because they couldn't accept the world that they were in now…there's a fifty percent chance that Kiril will be like that. Is that any type of life you'd wish on your best friend?"

Bryan fell deathly quiet at that. His eyes moved to Kai and Mikhail who both were steadfastly refusing to meet his gaze. They were staring at anything and everything, but not him. They wouldn't meet his gaze. Tala reached out and touched Kai's shoulder, and the younger man smiled slightly at him. Not for the first time Tala seemed to be able to know exactly what Kai was thinking about and know precisely how to handle it.

Adrien continued his voice like ice.

"I didn't manipulate either of them. Vita's presence is soothing…I wear her around my neck and her nearness to them makes them feel better." He pulled the chain out from under his shirt and the obvious shudder that went through Kai and Mikhail's bodies was plainly visible to all who were watching. They were reacting without the intent to do so. They had no choice in the matter. The reaction sent a stab of pain through Bryan's heart though.

Even Michaels who didn't need Vita to survive because he was still living quite contently on the DNA that was entwined through his veins looked rather peaky at the sight of the bitbeast. Bryan could see it clearly, and it made him feel as though someone punched him in the gut. He couldn't understand what it was that made him feel that way, but in general he felt horrible.

Adrien hadn't reached for Kai's hand earlier to tie the man to him; he had taken his hand because he was trying to comfort him! Kai loved the boy as a son, and the child's thoughts to comfort him only made his love grow. And yet…Adrien was a terribly self conscious child. He would not have thought of Kai's attentions to him as simple love. From what it sounded like…the boy honestly thought that Kai's every action were because Vita was with him. That might have been a part of it…but surely not all of it. Mikhail was in the same boat. Adrien never truly knew his father, and to have the man suddenly hugging him and holding him and talking to him…it would not make the teenager believe that he really was being loved because of who he was.

It was all because of Vita's energy.

Bryan felt as though he'd been kneed in the groin. Adrien's father figures needed his presence to exist sanely on this earth. Or at least, they needed Vita – and as her master by proxy they needed Adrien as well. For a boy who had longed to have his parents back, to him it must seem like they stayed by him from necessity, not love. Such pain was indescribable, and by looking at Kai and Mikhail he knew that at least some what it was true. They needed Vita…but they loved Adrien for who he was, and yet there was no way they'd be able to explain that to that child. He wouldn't understand, and he wouldn't believe them. It was a Catch 22 in the hardest of ways, and Bryan felt like crap all of a sudden.

He was such an ass hole.

"Carpe Diem, quam minimum credula postero." -Horace


	30. Home Again Home Again Jigaty Jig

**Windstar: **Another longer chapter, hope you like it.

Thanks to FlamingIce94 for being my only reviewer last chapter. I appreciate it!

**Disclaimer:** Same.

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: **

When they touched down, Tala was feeling more than a little nauseous and was frighteningly pale. Still though, considering how much fear was coursing through his veins, he was going a rather good job of keeping himself upright as they walked off the plane. That didn't stop him from rushing a bit to get his feet on the ground though.

Anna stared at him in immense confusion as she tried to understand just why it was that her would be fiance was so completely out of it as he wobbled unsteadily on his own two feet. Kai was little better, and it only served to show that practice didn't make perfect. Just because Kai flew more often then Tala did – did not mean that he was handling it better.

Kiril slid his hand into his brother's and the redhead was charmed slightly at the thought that his little brother was trying to comfort him. Still, he was the one that was supposed to help Kiril, not the other way around. He patted the boy's head with his free hand and glanced back towards where the other F-Fives were slowly untangling themselves from their seats.

It was an extremely awkward plane ride after Bryan's outburst, and it felt like it took forever to get to Tokyo. None of them had any clothes or luggage and so their trip out would be relatively quick. The Officers had put their weapons and equipment in a shipment that would arrive at their headquarters later on. Right now they all wanted to be with their families and friends. They didn't want to waste what precious little time they had left with matters of mail.

Besides, they could always get new guns. They couldn't get Kiril's life back.

When they stepped out of the terminal though, all eyes turned to see a beautiful blonde haired Princess who screamed out her husband's name the moment she caught sight of him. Kai whipped around and looked at her, and for a moment the only thing he could do was stare.

"Kai!" She completely disregarded the DO NOT ENTER signs and surged forwards. When he was still frozen, Mikhail called him an idiot and purposefully pushed him. Suddenly he felt his feet under him and the man moved faster then he'd ever moved in his life. His arms snapped out and he did the first thing he could think of.

He kissed her.

Ignoring whatever cat calls were fated to occur, his arms wrapped around her body and a hand was lost in her long silky hair. He breathed in her perfume that he had always thought she didn't really need. He breathed in her soapy and clean smell. For a moment he worried that she might think that he smelt terrible – he certainly thought that he did.

Their lips were lost on each other. He could smell her minty toothpaste. He could feel her tender skin. Her lacy dress that hung closely too her made him sigh in contentment. If Vita made his soul survive, Adeline made his heart beat. A world without this girl would kill him. He knew that already. How could he even think for a moment that he didn't want to live without her? He sighed.

Beautiful. His fingers couldn't take it anymore and they moved around her head to her face. He could feel her make up. It dusted off his fingers. He didn't care if he messed it up though. She was crying, and he knew that that would make it run anyway. Her hands were gripping him to her. She was hugging him tighter then every before, and suddenly their kiss wasn't a kiss at all.

It was her sobbing against his lips and him saying her name over and over again. He found himself just holding her to him, more then a little happy that she was just as much of a wreck as he was. He couldn't help but feel a surge of delight at the knowledge that this beautiful creature was his and his alone. That she had come for him regardless of the fact that he'd been gone for so long.

He held on close to her. He knew now without a doubt that he didn't care one bit about what she looked like or anything of that nature. He just wanted her with him. He rocked her in his hold, whispering her name over and over again. Tears were coming to his eyes. How long had it been?

How long had he been tortured and had been away from his blushing bride? Or rather...this crying Angel that wanted him and only him. How he had corrupted that angel. So beautiful and so full of life. She should be with a prince, not with a scummy soldier like him. Yet he couldn't help himself. He was happy to be the knight in shining armor if she could be his princess.

Though he didn't know what he would do if she was ever a damsal in distress. He would probably go insane if there was a thought of her being in any danger. That was why he had the charade for so long that she wasn't important to him. She was safe. Their children were safe.

She was crying. Desperately crying. Telling him how she thought he was dead, how Dranzer had appeared with Black Dranzer and -

"What?" He asked her weakly as he finally pulled away to look at her. She looked towards the left though and caught sight of Tala. The redhead smiled weakly and she screamed out his name too. Suddenly the both of them were trapped in a bone crushing hug that they didn't dare try to pull away from. Tala hushed her gently, and pet her hair. Telling her at everything was going to be alright now.

Kai needed to talk to Adeline though. What about Black Dranzer? What about Dranzer? Still he couldn't deny the fact that this woman needed them to be there for her. She needed to know that they all came back alright. Just wait until she saw -

"Adrien! Kiril!" The teenagers winced slightly. Suddenly her face became awash with anger and she shoved passed her two beloved family members and straight towards them. Both looked suitbly guilty, but it didn't stop the Princess from slapping Kiril hard across the face and delivering a similar punishment to Adrien just when he thought he'd been saved from the attack. She soon after dissolved into even more tears and she held them both to her. "Don't you ever do that again, do you here me?!" She screamed as she pulled back just long enough to catch their eyes.

Even though the slaps didn't really hurt, they certainly made them feel as though they were terribly thought badly of in this woman's eyes. Still though. Adrien couldn't help but feel his heart soar at the feeling of the woman holding him. It was the first hug he'd received lately where he didn't feel like he owed somebody something while he hugged them.

Anna, Michaels, and Christopher all looked rather awkward as they looked at the Princess. They didn't know what they were supposed to do or say. All three of them had been apart for so long that they didn't know if they too claimed rights to hugs from her. Christopher had been considered a traitor. Michaels was declared dead. Anna had walked out on them.

Still, whether she was surprised to see Michaels alive or not, she extended her welcome to every single person who was on that plane. Every man, woman, and child was hugged and shown her deep loving welcome. None more so then Kai, obviously, but it was still a sight no one could forget.

The image of Kai holding the blonde girl to his body as he kissed her passionately was something that would be ingrained in all of their memories forever. One by one they all started to realize, this was it. They were done. Nothing else was going to happen. It was time to put the arms to rest. Time to finally sleep.

Tyson Granger was waiting for them just behind Adeline. He came over and started talking to the Officers, his eyes taking in the injuries that you could see, and the injuries you couldn't see. He gave Tala a great hug, telling him how much he missed him. He looked at Christopher sadly and apologized for the mission he had been forced to be apart of. The man sighed and nodded.

It came with the territory.

"I sent word out to all of the F-Fives that were brought over in the initial surge. They're going to meet up at the house in a couple of hours. Though I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few of them there now." Tyson informed lightly as he looked at the children who were all standing awkwardly.

A few people were watching them now, staring at the scene in confusion as they tried to figure out what had happened. They wouldn't figure it out though, they couldn't possibly guess what had happeend to them all.

Tala thanked them quietly and glanced at Kiril who yawned slightly. He was exhausted. Maybe now wasn't the best time for this? The boy looked up at him almost as though he heard him. He shook his head. No, he was ready for this, he _was_. He was very ready for this. He wanted to see his family. He wanted to see his friends. Even if they weren't really friends...he wanted to see them.

Anna thought of something suddenly and hurried over to Kai. She passed the ring and necklace towards him and he thanked her quietly. Then he looked up. His jaw dropped before he glanced over to his wife. She was looking at him in confusion.

"Where's...Jeannine and Nikoli?" He asked softly, trying to figure out just where his children were. He hadn't seen them in so long...he wanted to see them. He needed to see them.

"They're at Tyson's house...a few friends are watching over them. They wanted to come too, but we agreed it'd be for the best if they stayed behind." He nodded mutely.

Slowly yet surely they all left the airport. Tyson had ordered a few busses to transport them to the house, and the ride was an exciting one. Everyone was talking now, happy to see sights that many of them hadn't seen before while at the same time enjoying the fact that they were no longer in captivity.

It was a healing journey. The boys that had been locked underground for so long were not exactly happy with the fact that they couldn't go home, but they accepted reality for what it was. Besides, none of them (or at least very few of them) had ever been to Japan before. It was a new experience all together, and not entirely unwanted.

Adeline's generous hugs and affection had made them all feel right as rain. Especially after they saw Kai and her together. It was almost as if a curtain had been lifted. They were no longer trapped behind it. Now they were able to fly freely and out of the darkness.

Kai was fidgeting slightly in his seat, but Adeline didn't seem to mind or care or notice. In fact, she simply held onto him as though he would disappear any moment now. She told him that she thought he had died, and he told her he was sorry. He couldn't quite explain right now that he had died and that he'd been brought back. He didn't know how to explain that.

As the busses pulled up to the house, Tala did a head count and nodded in satisfaction. Everyone was here. Kiril and Adrien both were more then a little chastised by Adeline and were oddly subdued. Still though. A little hair ruffle and a quiet command for them to get inside and eat something made the two nod and hop to it.

There were no war stories from those two, and Tala hadn't really expected there to be. They both understood that what they'd done was incredibly stupid and they'd paid the price for it. They weren't flaunting the experience to anyone or bragging. That's how it should be. Kiril understood that more then anyone. There was nothing he could do now except wait, and that wasn't good enough for Luka.

They hadn't made it five feet through the front door before the Officers were stunned by the appearance of three people they hadn't seen in a very long time. Kai actually looked like he didn't know what to say as he glanced them over one by one. Still, it was more then welcomed. Especially when they came to present to him his darling children.

Standing there with both children was none other then the other members of the Blade Breakers. For a moment Kai didn't know what to think. Seeing his old friends there for the first time in so long made his heart sing. He hadn't been able to see them in forever. Now that they were here he couldn't help but feel almost at peace.

How long had it been since they were all together? Had it really been that rainy day long ago when Tala had arrived to let him know that Anna was gone? Everything had come full circle. They were all together again, and now at long last he could see his children.

Jeannine was beautiful just like her mother. Delicate and charming. She had dark silver tinted black baby curls that were bound to get darker over time, and big blue eyes. He couldn't help but smile at the sight of the little girl who was sitting on Rei's hip. She looked so cute and charming that he could have died and been happy. Already a grinning little Princess.

Nikoli surprised him though. With bright blonde hair just like his mother's, and dark red eyes he couldn't help but stare. Red eyes. Just like him, and the dark features that angled his face just so. He was going to be a daddy's boy and Kai couldn't help it. He blinked in awe and found himself staring at a mini-me. Minus the hair, the boy looked just like him.

Max was holding him up, and the little boy squealed in delight when he saw his mother. He held out his hands uttering some form of baby babble. Jeannine doing the same. Tala put his hand on his slightly younger brother's shoulder and whispered softly into his ear.

"You have beautiful children." He said softly. "Now go over there and hold them before I beat you too it."

"Prick." He snapped back with little to no force behind it. Still he walked forwards, Adeline by his side.

"Hey man...how you doin?" Rei asked softly as he looked at his old time friend. Kai cracked a faint smile at him before holding out his hands for the first time.

"Can I-" Before he even finished the sentence there was a little girl pressed into his arms and he felt dizzily light headed with delight. It didn't matter that he was sore and still hurting, it didn't matter that the baby was pulling at his clothes or sticking her foot in her mouth when he wasn't being accommodating, all that mattered was for the first time in his life he was holding his daughter.

Adeline took Nikoli from Max gratefully and looked over to her still awestruck husband. He didn't look like he knew what to say. His eyes were wide and his face was blushing. She laughed heartily at the expression, and Luka couldn't help the perfect opportunity to shed some insight on the situation.

"My dear, he looks as though he's fallen in love with another girl, I'd watch my back if I were you!" He teased and Anna couldn't help but feel her heart warmed at the sight. While different with her, he wasn't different with everyone else. He was still that charming man she'd fallen in love with. Adeline giggled and nodded.

"I half expected that to happen." She admitted lightly. "Are you alright Kai?" She asked as she looked at the quiet amazement. Kai nodded slightly. He moved really without thinking, sitting out in the backyard of Tyson's house holding the babbling baby as gently as he could.

Tala couldn't help but smile at the sight of the awestruck father who he'd grown up with. Turning back to Adeline he waggled his eyebrows at her and winked. "Just wait till he remembers he has a son too!" He teased. "You'll never get them back!"

"Oh I think I can handle it." The blonde giggled.

"You know you want to let me hold my nephew before that happens." He said jokingly. She laughed and turned to look at Dmitri who was watching the whole scene in quiet awe. He'd never been to Japan before and he was rather amazed by it so far.

"It depends if my sister in law-" Tala flinched and Anna bit her lip. "Is ever going to let me hold mine?"

"Forget it." The redhead snapped before stalking towards the kitchen, a dark cloud hovering over head as he moved through the house. Adeline stared after him in confusion, not understanding.

Kiril rolled his eyes and hurried after him, intent on staying far away from Anna if he had the choice. He didn't want to deal with the woman either and he was putting on quite the show to let it be known just where exactly his loyalties lay. Anna was more then a little aware of it too.

Still, Adrien hung back. He looked at the woman who had adopted him all those years ago with Kai, and then to the little brother he hadn't seen in quite some time. The question on his lips was obvious and Adeline nodded before passing the boy to him. The baby squealed with delight at being with his old friend again, and Adrien was balanced him carefully with one arm the boy was gripping on to him with excitement as he looked around him in clear joy.

He walked after his friend, taking the baby with him. No one had intended to make the man upset and so little Nikoli was much like a peace offering at the moment. Anna watched him go sadly, and as Adeline turned to look back at Michaels and her – Rei and Max quickly dispersed as well. This was a chat that was best held alone.

Settled in the kitchen, Tala was raiding the cupboards looking for anything edible that would soothe his aching stomach. Kiril propped himself up on a bar stool as he watched, and soon Adrien and Nikoli arrived on the scene to observe. Tyson, Max, and Rei stepped in shortly thereafter and Tyson rolled his eyes.

"There's tea bags on the upper left shelf behind the onions." He announced at long last, and Tala glanced back at him before nodding and grabbing a few. He looked over to Kiril questioningly and the boy nodded. He wanted a cup as well. "God, you've been back for ten minutes and you're already taking over the house."

"Yeah well, wait until the kids get here-" Kiril muttered.

"Which is when exactly?" Luka asked as he finally took sight of the baby in Adrien's arms and bit his lip.

"You might as well take him, I can't hold him forever." The suddenly ballsy kid said as he motioned to his broken arm. The redhead jumped slightly when the boy was passed over to him and the brunette continued with boiling the water for them.

Startled but not necessarily put off by the child; Tala inspected the boy. He really was going to grow up to look like his father. That much was obvious. There was more then a little Hiwatari gene in his cocktail. Minus the blonde hair, he looked almost exactly as Luka remembered Sacha looking when they'd first met. Hopefully it wouldn't affect the kid too badly...there were side effects to being created the way they had been.

Luka hadn't had the chance to really look over Dmitri to see if he had come out okay, but it seemed like there hadn't been any problems. He let out a sigh of relief. The baby in his arms was so happy and content just being held that he couldn't help but love the child. Such a sweet little thing...

"Not for a couple of hours most likely, school and all." Max supplied helpfully.

"I'm surprised they didn't skip once they heard the news." Luka griped as Nikoli made a snot bubble. He contorted his face into a ridiculous formation. "Bababoo." The baby let out a shriek of laughter, giggling rather happily in his arms. Kiril snorted and looked away. This was just silly.

"We didn't tell them why they needed to come back, just that there was something they had to see here."

"Ahah." He made another face and the boy laughed again. Then he caught sight of something. A small chain around the baby's neck. He frowned, he didn't think you were supposed to put necklaces on babies. Wasn't that a chocking hazard or something? He reached for it and suddenly a feeling he hadn't felt in a long while overcame him. "Shit!" He shoved the kid into the nearest person's arms – Kiril's- and took a step back. Everyone was staring at him as though he'd gone crazy. "Who the hell thought it was a good idea to put that on his neck?" He hissed as he motioned towards the chain.

It was more visible now, and the charm that was attached to it was anything but charming. It was a bitchip. A jet black bitchip that had a Demon Bird in the center of it. Black Dranzer. No one had seen it for years because both Tala and Kai had been vessels for it. It hadn't needed a physical form. Yet now that Kai had died, it had been returned to the Earth once again.

Why it was around Kai's son's neck when the baby should have been kept far away from it was something that was grating on his nerves completely. Surely Adeline wasn't foolish enough to have thought that it was a good idea! That was just plain brain dead of her!

"It just appeared there one day." Tyson explained lightly. "They were just playing in their playpen when there was a huge light. For some reason neither of them were screaming at it, they were actually eerily quiet. Adeline got scared and ran forward to try to find them, but we couldn't see a thing. Next thing we knew the light had faded and there it was just sitting there in his hand. Dranzer ended up in Jeanie's hand as well. When we tried to take them away from them they started throwing hissy fits-"

"He's one year-old! I think you could have handled a few hissy fits. Instead of just letting him have it you should have taken it away from him! What the hell were you thinking?!"

_Do you really hate yourself that much that you won't allow me to stay with my master?_ Tala froze. His eyes wide for a moment as they slowly travelled to the now glowing bitchip. Nikoli didn't seem aware of what was happening because he was just smiling happily up at his family with little to no concern.

"I don't hate myself." He snapped back, glowering at the bitchip.

_You've despised your body for years because you were dying and you used me to survive. I have to wonder why. You were also my master and yet you wanted nothing to do with me. What did I ever do to you that you yourself did not ask for?_

The background faded and the bird suddenly filled his whole vision. Now it was just him and her standing in the darkest of places. No one else was around, and he knew that this conversation was simply a discussion held solely between them. No one else needed to hear them.

"I never hated you. I hated what you were doing. How you work...you kill the people trying to use you."

_Only by force. How many times have I wanted to help my beloved masters and how many times have they told me to harm them in return?_ Tala looked away. It was for survival. He knew that. All the times he ran the server he'd begged her to hurt him so that he could fool his father and the rest of the Abbey technicians.

That wasn't her fault...that was his fault. She had nothing to do with that. It was just simply what needed to be done. His fists clenched as he grit his teeth. He spent so much of his life just feeling indebted and miserable. He spent so much of his life trying to piece together just how he felt about this bitbeast.

_She continued. _

_When have I ever taken from my masters what they didn't want to be taken? Have I not always given whatever I could to ease the pain of my most cherished ones? All those years ago when Sacha first awakened his thirst for me, did he not hunger desperately for his mother? Did he not wish always for her to be with him once more?_ Somehow it didn't surprise him that Black Dranzer called Kai by his birth name. Somehow it was almost parental of her.

"You told him that I was going to betray him and that I was not his brother. You told him that I killed our mother. You made him think that you were his mother."

_That boy is my child! My DNA is what created him and allowed him to survive. That child is only alive because I was bound to his cells at the genetic level. They used me to help get that woman pregnant. That boy is as much my son as you are!_ Tala glowered at the bird. He did not want to think about that bird being his mother - thought he did consider the fact it'd be a nicer thought then Marina being his mother. _You reject me because you're scared! You're scared of what I can do and what I have done. All that I have ever done has been for you two, my beloved masters who I have cared for through all these years._

_Sacha was hurting! He was dying inside because of the thought that his mother and father had been killed because of him. He needed someone to blame and if that someone just happened to be you than it was better then him dying because of it! After the building fell and he lost his memories he did not need that suggestion._

"And yet it was one of the few things that he did remember." Tala hissed hatefully.

_That was not my fault! Foolish child, had I really not cared for you or your brother do you honestly think I would have offered my life up to save you?! You were near dead and I could have easily turned my back on you. I could have easily let you die! I didn't though. I allowed you and he to survive by feeding off my body._

"I remember." Tala whispered, looking away. It was one of the many reasons he couldn't look at Dranzer anymore. The guilt in his chest was too much. "I never wanted to do that to you."

_Was it because you were disgusted by me or because you didn't want to hurt me?_

He didn't know what to say. He just looked at her in silence. What was he supposed to say? He wasn't disgusted by her. No that wasn't it. All that time he stared up at Dranzer and remembered that Black Dranzer was gone because of him...he felt just so terribly sad and lonely. It was almost as if someone had been torn from his life.

_My child.._.He looked up at her._ I would not harm this boy, or his sister. You must believe me. You are no longer capable of handling the burden of me in your lives. Allow me to care for these children as I longed to do for you. I am not inherently evil. I am only forced to do such things by those who control me...allow me to guide this child just as your Wolf guides you._

The darkness faded and the bird vanished before his eyes. He blinked a few times as the light made his vision blur. Then he was back to the world of the real, and everyone was staring at him in worry. He sighed.

"Fine, keep the damn necklace, see if I care." He muttered. And at that exact moment, a loud scream echoed through the house. He snapped his head up, horror crossing his features. "Kai?!"

The screaming just got louder and Tala took off like a bat out of hell as he rushed towards the sound. Adrien had the sense to turn the burner off under the kettle for tea before he hurried after them. He pushed forwards as a crowd started forming at the entrance of the garden where Kai had been playing with his daughter.

Everyone was frozen stiff at the sight that met them. No one knew quite what they were supposed to do, and they were staring in awe at how devastating the vision before them was.

Kai was holding his little girl in his arms, but one of his hands had found a necklace around her neck as well. Only instead of Black Dranzer, Dranzer herself was charmed to the chain. It shouldn't have been a problem except the bird had somehow gotten it in her head that Kai was a threat to the little girl and flames had shot out from the bitchip and had entangled themselves around Kai's arm.

It looked like he was trying to let the chain go, but he couldn't. The flames were tying him to the girl and he couldn't release it. The fire was spreading, covering his body and he was screaming as it became obvious that he was being burnt.

"What-I don't understand he-he never got burnt before!" Adeline shouted in horror at the sight. Tala didn't have time to explain though.

He pulled his shirt off as quickly as he could and shot forwards to beat the fire back. Suddenly the bird ejected herself from the bitchip and glowered at him. He froze in shock just long enough for her to scream angrily towards him. He felt himself go flying backwards, his head snapping against the side of the house as he groaned in pain.

"Fuck this..." He hissed. Looking up at Spencer he called out his second plan of attack. "Spence can you douse him?" The blonde was shaking his head in horror though.

"All of our bitchips are still at the school, they're buried under the dorms right now, and I couldn't get Seaborg to do anything even if I tried!" Adeline spun on her heal, running towards where there was a garden hose.

All the while Dranzer got more and more powerful, the flames just getting bigger and bigger. Jeanie was completely unharmed, in fact- she was laughing quite happily at the fire that was dancing around her. Clearly she had adopted her father's former burn-free lifestyle.

The blonde princess spun about brandishing the hose like a weapon and she squirted it hard towards the burning man. Dranzer whipped about and stopped the water just before it landed, and screamed at her. She too flew backwards. Tyson shouted her name and rushed towards her, checking to see if she was alright.

Kai's knees hit the ground, he couldn't keep himself upright anymore. He just knelt there gasping and screaming as the flames overtook him. They grew stronger and stronger and yet he couldn't do anything. His hand was clasped tightly around the necklace and it was refusing to listen to him order it to let go.

Adrien bit his lip and reached into his pocket. He pulled out his father's bitchip, Balborg, and clenched his fist around it._ Listen to me! _He ordered in his mind. Mikhail was trying to stop the fire now as well, and when the great Bald Eagle appeared before them all he hesitated just long enough to stare at it in awe. It had been far too long since he saw that bitbeast...

But the bird _didn't _listen to Adrien.

Instead it charged straight towards Mikhail and flapped its wings as hard as it possibly could. A great gust of wind surrounded the man and he hissed as he threw his hands up to cover his face. The wind picked up faster and faster and soon a tornado surrounded Mikhail.

"Stop! Stop! What are you doing?!" Adrien shouted in horror. All the air in the tunnel was leaving and Mikhail gasped, clutching his throat as pressure forced him downwards. He hit the ground and felt his eyes watering as he tried to breathe.

Dranzer's flames were being attracted to the wind and soon the tornado surrounded all three of the people there. The fire was spinning around it quickly and dangerously. Only growing bigger as the two birds worked in tandem. Adrien felt his heart break in his chest. He couldn't believe that he'd aided in the death of both of his father figures.

He screamed again, trying to get it to stop. He surged forwards, but Tala caught him. By now it was obvious that no one was going to get close to that inferno and be able to stop it. The boy struggled hard against it, but he couldn't get out of Tala's miserable hold. The redhead wasn't enjoying this anymore then he was, but he wasn't going to let Adrien kill himself too.

"Dad! Daddy! Papa!" The boy was screaming, trying so hard to get close, but he couldn't. He wasn't able too.

Then, just as suddenly as it came...everything stopped. The fire vanished and the wind died down. And there laying on the ground was both Kai and Mikhail. Their eyes wide as they struggled to breathe. Tala released the boy in his hold, but the teen was frozen. He didn't look like he knew which one to go too first.

Tala made up his own mind and after checking to make sure that Mikhail was still breathing he went to Kai and gently pried the giggling baby from his grasp. He placed Jeannine to the side and rolled Kai onto his back. By now everyone had started to move forwards, crowding around to see if he was okay.

"You alive?" Tala asked sardonically as he looked into Kai's great big eyes. The slightly younger man nodded, one of his hands holding onto his chest for a moment. Luka frowned. What the hell? "Your arm-"

"I feel good." Kai said all of a sudden. Blinking as he tried to figure out what just happened. He glanced towards Mikhail who was pushing himself up to his knees. "Real good."

"Well I'm glad you feel real good, you were just lit on fire , you want to tell me why it is you look like that you prick?" Tala snapped as he grabbed the man's completely unscathed arm and held it in front of his face. "Cause in case I've missed something you do have a burn on your chest and I know you're not immune anymore." Kai blinked.

"How should I know? Do I look like an expert on this topic?"

"Considering the fact that it was your bitbeast who did it, yeah I'd expect you to be a little bit more knowledgeable then me."

"Dad?" Both Mikhail and Kai looked up, staring at Adrien's frightened green eyes as he took them in.

"We're okay Junior." They both said softly. "Somehow."

_Your souls have been pieced back together._

A blinding light filled the garden and they hissed, shielding their eyes for a moment before the great Angel was present before them. To those who had never seen her before she was both beautiful and terrifying to behold. Half of her was shimmering brightly with the other half seemed to glow in darkness.

"Who the hell are you?" Tala asked ruefully as he looked at her.

"Vita." Adrien replied as he frowned towards the Commander. Blue eyes shimmered in understanding as the man nodded. "What are you talking about?" He asked lightly as he looked at his mother.

_When they were brought back, their souls were in pieces because of the draw of Heaven._

Kai and Mikhail glanced at each other. Both of them knew full well how beautiful that place was and how much the pain of being separated from it had been. That place had been so much more inviting then Earth was. The Angel before them produced that lovely presence and it had been what was soothing them for the past few weeks. That didn't explain what was happening now though. It did make a few people freak out though.

"Wait, brought back?" Adeline asked as she looked at her husband in horror. He grimaced.

"You got to wonder if our marriage vows still count cause the 'til death do us part thing' kind of bit me in the ass." He muttered back, trying to make light of the situation.

"You died?" Tears were in her eyes as she looked at him. He nodded slowly.

"I was going to tell you...eventually..."

"Can we get back on track here, what happened just now?" Tala cut in. The couple could sort out their issues later. Right now they had bigger fish to fry.

_We gave our own souls in exchange for our masters' safe return._ Dranzer announced proudly as she touched her head to her beloved master's cheek with her head._ Like with how we bound you to Earth when you were dying all those years ago._ Tala flinched, looking away. All eyes snapped to Dranzer at that. The two Officers never talked about that, and unwittingly they all wanted to know just what exactly had happened.

"That was different...you never lit me on fire and had a nice light show going." He muttered in retaliation. Dranzer cooed softly. He still couldn't look at her fully.

_It wasn't different. Physically both you and Sacha needed to be bound to Earth. In order to do so we used a different method, yes, but it wasn't your soul that was in jeopardy. It was your body. For this, it was the same. We gave up a part of ourselves for our masters and in exchange their souls have been returned._ Kai bit his lip looking a bit peaky at the thought of that.

"Wait a second, I had Balborg for years before now why didn't he do anything then?" Mikhail asked as he looked up at the bitbeasts that were floating about.

_Because you were dead we couldn't react to your presence. It is only by the release from a master could we do anything. I wanted to...but I wasn't able to leave my bitchip to do anything without permission-_

"Well why didn't someone tell me all I had to do was release Balborg from his bitchip?" Adrien hissed as he glared back towards Vita. She sighed.

_I did not know._ Her voice was subdued and it was obvious that she was telling the truth.

"Wait...you're saying that they're back to the way they were before they died? They're one hundred percent normal again?" Bryan asked as he licked his lips. Mikhail and Kai exchanged looks. The pain was gone...there was nothing now except the way they felt before everything fell apart.

"I feel great." Kai said and Mikhail agreed quickly. "Better then I have in a while..."

"This is it! This is how we can save Kiril, all we need is his bit beast. Adrien can bring him back to life and-"

"I don't have a bitbeast Uncle Bryan." Everyone froze at the boy's quiet admission. There was no time to find the boy a bitbeast.

Tala was eerily motionless at the boy's admission. His eyes were glancing out towards the west and he was stone cold and rigid. He was trying so hard to think of another way, but everything pointed to only one answer. One answer that he knew would solve everything.

Without even thinking about it, he moved forward and grabbed Adrien by the arm and started to drag him away. His mind was filled with all the answers and they needed to be put into action swiftly. He was walking as fast as he could towards the garage, focused on his path and not even noticing the understandably weak teenager that was struggling to keep up with his pace.

"Sir-"

"Tala, Adrien. It's Tala or Luka. I'm your Uncle and you might as well start calling me one." He muttered softly as he opened the door to the garage and then hit the switch to allow vehicle entrance to the front of it. He stalked towards a motorcycle that was waiting for him. Kai had gotten it for Tyson years ago, and he knew that Tyson kept gas in it all the time. The key was right where it should be and he started it without a second thought. "Adrien, how long can you keep Kiril alive for?"

The brunette frowned, not understanding.

"I'm not going to bring him-"

"I'm not asking you to brink him back to life. I'm asking you how long you can sustain it. Kai told me that when they were firing into the crowd you were able to stop the bullets because the kids couldn't die. Since you control life and death, you control when they die. So how long can you keep Kiril alive?" Awareness flashed across those green eyes.

"I don't know. I haven't ever tried. Maybe a few hours? Until I run out of energy I guess."

"A few hours?" Tala whispered as he revved the engine. He was looking thoughtful again. "Can you do that for me? Do it until I get back."

"You're leaving?" Both turned to stare at Kiril who was standing there with Kai and Mikhail, Adeline and Anna. Tala nodded slowly.

"I'm going to be back as-"

"Don't give me that bullshit. I'm dying, and you're leaving!"

"If this works-"

"Fuck you! I don't care if it works. I want you here!" Kiril was screaming, his face awash with misery. No one was cheering for Tala's cause either though. They were all looking at him like he was crazy. "Can't you understand that I just want you here! Why are you always leaving when I need you to stay!"

"Kiril when I get back-"

"Where are you going? The supermarket? Down the street? Out of the country? Where?!"

"Far away. I don't know exactly-"

"Fuck you!" There was silence. Adrien looked away, biting his lower lip as he tried to not get involved. Tala was revving the engine again, his face set in determination. "I hate you!"

"No you don't." It was odd how easy it was to say that.

"I do! I hate you! I hate you!" Tears were streaming down the teenager's face, his heart shattered completely. "Stop deciding for me what I need! Stop making decisions without me! Don't leave me alone!"

"Kiril, I can't take you with me." Tala knew that he couldn't. There wasn't enough time, and if this didn't work then the boy wouldn't be able to be with the people he wanted to be with. He was pulling a lot of favors to do this in the first place, and he simply couldn't take Kiril with him.

"Luka. Where are you going? I'll go instead." Kai tried to negotiate, but Tala shook his head.

"You don't get it. You won't be able to. None of you will be. Only me-"

"For someone who just got through being tortured for over a year you certainly are a ballsy son of a bitch." Mikhail hissed and Tala glowered at him.

"For someone who just came back from the dead you really have no room to talk." The man glared hatefully at his so called foster brother and surged forwards. Anna and Adeline tugged him back, and the blonde glowered at all of them.

"Will all of you just be quiet for one moment! Can we have one moment of peace without any self combustion, talk of people coming back from the dead, wind storms, blood, and errant parents!?" Silence fell around her. "Luka. Where are you going?"

"I can't tell you."

"Can't or wont?" He was quiet. Kiril glared.

"Fine. Leave again. Maybe when you come back and I'm dead it'll make it all better." The teen turned and shoved passed the wall of adults leaving silence in his wake. Tala sighed and shook his head. Climbing onto the bike he knocked the kickstand back and he looked at Adrien.

"Just do it as long as you can alright?" He whispered softly, and the brunette nodded.

"Just come back before I pass out." He muttered. Tala tried to smile, it failed.

"I'll be back before you know it." Kai surged forwards before he zoomed out, getting on the back of the bike and flying down the streets as he had one arm around his brother's waist. Their talk wasn't over. Not by a long shot.


	31. We Need To Talk

**Windstar: **Thanks very much to my two reviewers. I really appreciated it! This chapter is a bit shorter then the last, but it most certainly isn't lacking in sustenance. I hope you all enjoy!

There's a very small **warning **in this chapter...there is some erm...sexual themes. Very in-explicit, but the warning's just there so people are aware of it.

On Hundred Chosen is giving me a hard time so I don't think it will be posted for quite some time - even after this is finished. Apologies!

**Disclaimer: **Same as usual.

**Chapter Thirty: **

When Kai returned with Tyson's bike, everyone was not only disappointed, they were also hurt. It was night by then, and Kiril was so infuriated with everyone that he had all but locked himself in his borrowed room and determined that he'd rather die alone then with everyone harping around him. Adrien played peacemaker and managed to get inside and from what eavesdroppers had heard, they'd been talking almost non-stop for hours.

It started with silly things, conversation starters mostly. Kiril had been sitting on his bed looking out the window, almost hoping that his brother would reappear at that exact moment and come back. Adrien climbed up to the ledge and looked at his friend with a simple question obvious. The teen sighed and motioned for him to come in, and the younger boy quickly scrambled through the window. His broken arm hadn't appreciated it, but he didn't quite care at the moment.

"Tala's the biggest fucking dick-wad I've ever met, but he's not stupid. He'll be back in time." Adrien whispered softly. Kiril just snorted.

"In time for what? For me to mumble out some heartfelt apology and tell him how I really feel? In time for him to let me know that he did all of this so that he could bring Anna home? I already figured that out. In time for me to gasp out some famous last words? How about 'I wished you stuck around instead of flying off at a moments notice _fucker_.' Those sounded pretty good to me, but you know I can't help but think that might cause more harm then good." He sighed. "It's not about him leaving. It's about the fact that he left and we didn't sort anything out. It's about how he's always _left _when I just needed him to be here, with me...talking to me. Talking to me about anything. We never talked about Anna. He thought that it would hurt me too much, and I thought it would hurt him too much. We were both hurting by not talking about it though.

"I just wanted him to stick around long enough to _talk _to me. I just wanted him to explain things to me, I wanted to explain too. I wanted to tell him so many things, and now what? He's just going to live up to expectations. All he's ever been is a disappointment. He's leaving and nothing is resolved." Adrien couldn't help it. Kiril's point was sound.

"But what if he's right? What if he knows a way to save your life?" Kiril sighed.

"Even if he does...what's left? I'm alive, great. What do we talk about then?"

"Everything you wanted to talk about now." Kiril sighed and looked at his arms where track marks were still visible.

"I'm not sure I know what to say."

"You were going to talk to him before weren't you?" Before he left that is...

"Yes, but what do I have to loose if I'm already going to die?"

"That doesn't make much sense." Kiril lay back on the bed and glanced at Adrien. He knew it didn't make much sense, but he couldn't help it. This was how he thought. If he was dying, he didn't have to worry about rejection. He didn't have to worry about anything. Now though, now if he was alive...then...then Tala could leave for good and he'd be alone for good. The mix of separation anxiety and abandonment issues was a bitch. Then he thought of something. He looked at Adrien with sadness and sighed.

"I'm sorry." Green eyes narrowed slightly.

"Sorry for what?" He asked, totally confused.

"For everything really. For the well, for burning you, for making you and Kai's relationship fail, for dragging you with me to face Donahue, for going to Mecca-"

"Okay, you can stop now." Adrien sighed; he moved to sit next to Kiril and leaned back on the bed so they were lying next to each other. "First and foremost, half of that isn't your fault." Kiril frowned.

"I distinctly recall telling you to jump into a well-"

"Do you? Do you really remember that?" Adrien looked at Kiril softly. "Because from what_ I_ remember, some jackass personality of yours did that, I don't remember my best friend ever saying that to me." Kiril scowled.

"Just because I'm crazy doesn't mean I didn't do it-"

"Kiril, through all of that, I could have told you to fuck off, I could have told you to screw yourself. I could have thrown _you _in that damn well. I could have stayed behind in Russia, and I could have more then happily called up my father and had him force you to sit still long enough for Tala to ream you out for thinking about Donahue."

"Your...father?"

"You didn't ruin my relationship with Kai. He never tore up the adoption papers. It was just a copy. Kai's been my father since I was three years old; and yeah now that my real dad is back it's a bit awkward, but I haven't thought about that much really. I've been lying to you too. Kai's been with me for years and our relationship only got stronger over the years."

Kiril just blinked. Then a smile crossed his face, a truly heartfelt smile. Adrien couldn't help it, he smiled too.

"Thank you." The brunette cocked his head to one side. "For completely and totally ignoring me when I was my most stupidest." Adrien burst out laughing.

"Oh come on, your most stupidest? That had to have been the going to Mecca idea. I mean, look at us!" He wielded his broken arm like a beacon and Kiril laughed at his track-marks, the scars, the hair cuts, the bruises, the wounds, the nightmares. The two of them just burst out and started laughing.

It was silly, it was ridiculous, it led to tears, but they laughed. They laughed so hard and for so long that their souls were uplifted. They laughed so hard that their muscles hurt, their lungs seized and their eyes watered. They laughed so hard that their skin turned red, their knees tucked to their chests and their hands hit the bed as a physical relief for their amusement.

Their laughter continued on and on, suffocating and intoxicating. It went onwards and onwards until there was nothing but the gasping sounds of two boys trying to breathe and being subsided into the most heart wrenching sobs that anyone could ever have heard. Kiril's head found its way to Adrien's chest, and the two of them just lay there, laughing and crying and weeping in pure pain for the sadness in their hearts was too great and the pain of their memories was too cruel to relive alone.

Kiril who had spent the months of captivity in an awkward world of living and dying, his body and mind dulled and his spirit broken, sorely needed the companionship of one who had been broken not spiritually but physically. The boy who could bring him back to life was the very boy that could not bear to think of bringing anyone back to life.

The two best friends who had grown up together since they were born, the two closest children who were more like brothers then friends, the two sole survivors of the world that was glaring down at them. Yes there were others, there were other captives and other people. However, only they were the ones who knew the life of true darkness. The others would have nightmares, the others had dark memories, but who could honestly say that they had gotten it the worst?

They laughed and they cried and they were broken and shattered by the simple fact that they might not be together anymore. If Tala didn't make it back in time, then these two friends, who had depended on each other to survive, would no longer be there for each other. Adrien had failed in his one and only task in life. He couldn't protect Kiril, he couldn't do it.

Resuscitation would leave his friend broken and shattered, and he couldn't do that. He would rather have him die and be at peace then live any longer in torture. Kiril understood all too well, and he couldn't help himself for clinging desperately to the one person who was always there; the one person who never left his side.

The two friends, brothers, were crying and laughing still onwards by the time that Kai came home. They talked occasionally, through the tears, they would say things that were meant to be comforting but the bumbling attempts only made them laugh harder. It only served to make them feel more vulnerable.

Down below, Adeline was waiting for Kai. She was sitting on the stoop, her eyes staring out at the empty spot the bike once was until it came back and her husband was there looking at her with nothing good to say. She sighed and stood up; wrapping her shawl around her she stepped closer and looked at his face.

"A lot happened today." She whispered softly. He nodded.

"Yeah...yeah a lot has." She looked back towards the house.

"Can I get you a glass of tea?" He looked at her for a long while, took in her once pristine and perfectly kept hair. It was now tangled in a badly done pony-tail. He took in her usually make up covered face, now it was blank and showing signs of wear. There were even a few white heads that usually weren't there. It didn't bother him of course...but it was just the fact that they were there. He took in her clothes, usually designer made, now they looked like they were second hands, the loose T-shirt and pajama pants looked odd on her. The shawl was more of a blanket. In short, she looked very little like the person she had in the past.

"Adeline..." She frowned, not understanding the odd look that had crossed his face. He didn't love her for her makeup or her clothes, and he didn't love her because of her hair. He loved her for who she was, and he could see plainly that since he'd been gone she had been wrecked both mentally and physically.

He reached out slowly, and pulled her to his chest. At first she blinked in confusion, but then her arms wrapped around him and then the tears came. Far different from the tears that were being shed upstairs, these tears were being shed for a much less personal cause. These tears were being shed because of frustration.

They were frustrated. They couldn't understand what to do next or how to go about doing things. They couldn't understand what it was that they were intended to do. Right now all they knew was that everything didn't make sense.

He'd been gone for so long. The twins weren't infants anymore. They were toddlers and this poor pitiful man had missed out on his children starting to grow. He'd missed out on that. Tears were falling faster and faster now, and the two ended up just crumpled on the floor in the garage. Kai desperately holding onto his wife, needing to know she was there and needing to know that she wasn't going to vanish.

It was a brief moment, but their tear stricken eyes met and he lowered his lips onto hers, kissing her gently at first, and then her hand tangled into his hair and he lost himself. He pressed harder, her mouth opened and he slid his tongue inside. She held onto him, closer, tighter. They were lost in the kiss, lost until at long last; he could not bear it a second longer. He stood up, pulling her with him. His arms wrapped around her and he picked her up. Carrying her bridal style through the house he ignored anyone and everyone who might have seen him. He stalked towards her room that she directed him too, and he threw open the door.

Without even thinking twice he kicked it closed and locked it before laying her down on the bed. He kissed her once more, crawling over her and tracing kisses down her throat. He didn't care if this was probably not the best time, he didn't care if they should probably wait. He didn't care about anything at the moment. He just wanted to feel her against him and he had long since decided that he'd had spent more then enough time apart from her.

He was ignorant to all else, and well, so was she.

* * *

  
Downstairs in the kitchen Tyson glanced over towards where Rei and Max were taking care of the twins and Dmitri. The little redhead was mystified by the children. His eyes were wide with amazement as he stared at the two little ones. He'd never seen any other children before, all his classes had been private lessons, and the experience was one that he was certainly enjoying.

Anna walked in and sighed, pulling a glass from the top shelf she started to make herself something to drink. Tyson glanced over to her; frowning slightly.

"Where you been?" He asked as he motioned towards where Dmitri had plopped himself hours ago and where he'd stayed ever since. She shrugged.

"He doesn't need me watching over him every second. He's doing fine." She said softly. Rei rolled his eyes and moved towards where the children were playing.

"You don't seem to me like a bad person Anna." The Chinese man said softly. She glanced towards him; he'd picked up the smiling redhead, and turned back to look at her. "But you're an awful mother. He's six, not twelve. Six year olds need just as much attention as anyone else. All you're teaching him is that he doesn't have to go to you for his answers."

"I don't want to hear it right now Rei. I'm tired." And she had a headache for that matter. Max rolled his eyes.

"We're all tired. We're all trying to figure out what to do, and _you _all suck at reunion parties. You realize we have over forty kids here who all want to see Tala and the other Officers and their friends?"

"It's not my fault that Tala and Kai ran off to God knows where."

"Actually, Kai came back a little while ago. He's upstairs with Adeline." Rei piped up, Dmitri was wiggling around, trying to get back onto the floor to play with the babies some more. He kept saying things in Italian though, and no one knew what he was talking about. Which was probably half the problem; no one could speak the boy's language and Anna had just left him alone. Adeline had been taking care of him for a little while before she had sat outside to wait for Kai's return, but then no one could act as translator. All the available ones had made themselves scarce.

"Where's Tala?" She asked as she looked at the three old friends. They didn't reply. "Well?"

"He's not back. Kai went upstairs before anyone could talk to him." Tyson finally spoke up after the uncomfortable silence grew unbearable. She moved to go up and ask him herself, but they got in her way. "Anna, darling." He teased lightly. "We know it's been a while since you've been back and around normal people, but the man's been away from his wife for practically a year. Perhaps it might be best if we left them alone for a while?" Tyson suggested as he stared at her pointedly. She sputtered; clearly shocked she hadn't put two and two together.

"Mama!" Dmitri was holding his arms out, and she sighed.

"Not now Dmitri." The little boy frowned and wiggled free from Rei's hold. He moved towards his mother and raised his arms up.

"Mama!"

"Not now." She told him, slightly harder this time. The boy scowled and stomped his foot – right onto Jeanie's left hand. The baby let out the most ear piercing scream imaginable, and the boy back-peddled immediately. He put his hands over his ears and he started screaming too, and then like clockwork Niko was shouting at the top of his lungs as well.

Anna pushed her little boy back and knelt down to look at where the baby was screeching and throwing her probably broken hand about like a rag doll. The other three adults were instantly there as well, and Dmitri turned and ran in the opposite direction.

He flew up the stairs and to a room, but it was locked. He heard voices inside though, so he pounded on it as hard as he could. A few moments later it was opened and he rushed in and hugged the legs of whoever it was that was standing there looking perplexed.

"Umm...Antonio right?" He looked up at the confused green eyes staring down at him.

"Dmitri!" He snapped back. "Me chiamo Dmitri!" There was rustling, and the little boy glanced into the room and caught sight of his older brother. He ran passed the _doorman _and crawled onto the bed and cuddled up against the teen. He started rambling off in a long and drawn out tearful list of problems that he was currently being plagued with, and both teenagers stared at him in confusion. Adrien slowly started to translate for Kiril, but the older boy motioned that he understood just fine.

"What are you doing Dmitri? What's with all the screaming downstairs?" Kiril asked in fluent Italian, forcing himself to rub his tears out of his eyes so he could focus fully on the child before him. Adrien had done the same and even if they both were still a bit misty, they were focused on the little one before them. The brunette did close the door though.

"Mama doesn't want to be with me anymore, and baby girl got her hand stepped on!" He howled in his native tongue, bawling loudly as the two tried to calm him.

"Jeanie's hand was stepped on?" That explained the screaming that was going on. Adrien looked a bit pale, and Kiril glanced at him. It seemed like blood really didn't run thicker then water. The teenager looked more then a little concerned for his sister's well being. Even if they weren't blood related, the boy still was worried for her safety.

"I didn't mean too!" The boy screamed. Tears were flowing freely now and they friends glanced at each other for a moment before sighing and patting the boy on the head. "Why's mama acting different?"

"I don't know, what's different for her?" Anna had left years ago, and as far as Kiril was concerned, they never knew who she really was. They never really saw her true colors.

"Mama always wanted to be with me before, now she doesn't want nothing to do with me!"

"It's not that she doesn't want anything to do with you, I'm sure." Adrien attempted as he glanced at Kiril.

"Yeah, she's a selfish manipulative bitch, but she probably loves you." The brunette elbowed Kiril in the stomach rather hard and the older teen stared in shock at the reaction. He could hardly believe that he had dared to touch him like that. Then he just moved away and accepted it for what it was. He noticed the reason for the reaction too. Dmitri was staring at him in horror. "Nah kid, she's loved you since before you were even born. She's probably just stressed out a bit."

"You knew Annie since a long time ago?" The oldest kid nodded and looked at his younger brother, truly, for the first time. He clearly recognized him and he could tell the similarities between them, but he was far more concerned with the smaller things. For all the similarities that he had to Tala, there were some things that were clearly from his mother. They were obvious, and Kiril couldn't help but sigh in frustration.

"Yeah I did." She was once someone he'd consider his mother. He would have considered her to be someone dearly important to him. Now though he didn't know what it was that she was supposed to be to him. She was just....not someone that he wanted to think about anymore. Though he had a feeling she was going to be coming up a lot more. Especially because he couldn't imagine his older brother even considering letting Dmitri out of his sight.

He closed his eyes for a moment. Wait a minute. He wouldn't have to worry about that. He was going to be dying soon right? Maybe his death would make things better between them. He highly doubted it though. He highly doubted it.

"You're old!" _And you're positively endearing. _Kiril looked miserably up at Adrien who sighed and touched the fiery red locks of his little cousin. For now it seemed that if Kiril and Dmitri could spend time together, maybe Kiril would be able to find some happiness in Anna's former pregnancy. Maybe some things could be healed before the inevitable happened.

* * *

  
Earlier in the night, Mikhail was sitting on the back porch of Tyson's house and trying to figure out what it was that he should do. He sighed and fiddled with his fingers. Bryan moved to sit by his side after a while. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his vest pocket and started to take one out. He glanced towards his one time best friend.

"You want one?" He asked softly. The brunette frowned for a moment. He licked his lips and nodded.

"Yeah." He reached out and took the fag from the box and placed it in his mouth. Bryan sparked his lighter and almost without thinking about it a gust of wind blew some of the flame towards his face. The stick was lit almost immediately. The Falcon wielder smirked.

"Kinda like riding a bike huh?" He nodded. Taking a drag, he felt his head fill with the familiar soothing comfort that the cigarettes had given him in the past. He sighed around it, the smoke leaving his mouth. It had been a long while since he'd had a puff.

A very long while.

In fact, he'd died before he'd had this opportunity. Twice. At that thought, he couldn't help but start laughing slightly. Bryan glanced at him in confusion, not understanding what was so funny. The brunette couldn't help it. He laughed a bit harder.

"Well...it's just that you're still smoking." Bryan frowned. "I just never thought that you'd still be smoking after all this time."

"Why? All those lung cancer things came out after you died."

"Yeah, but well, just because I was dead didn't mean that I wasn't paying attention to the world around me. I may have been in heaven, but you can only imagine the lecture that I received-" He stopped short and sighed slightly. "Never mind. Not supposed to talk about it." He grinned sheepishly and took another puff. It was almost burnt out by now, but that didn't seem to matter. He held out his hand for a new one and he got it.

Bryan was quiet for a long while. It had taken him hours to get the courage to even think about talking to Mikhail. Now that all the chaos of the day started to settle down, there was nothing else for him to do. He forced himself to be calm and collected. He needed to get this off his chest; he needed to talk about what happened all those years ago.

Mikhail took another long drag from his fag and sighed. Looking up at the stars for the first time since he'd been brought back to life. He hadn't seen them for years. He just remembered waking up in that tank filled with goo, his lungs were filled with fluid and he couldn't help but gasp.

He shuddered as he remembered that day. Remembering the day that you were born was traumatizing. He felt like a child. He felt like a baby again. He couldn't move, he couldn't see, he couldn't even make sounds. He just saw the love of his life standing before him with her eyes frighteningly calm. Ordering him not to speak. He had shivered violently the whole while.

He couldn't breathe! He fought against the tank he was being held in, not understanding what was going on. He couldn't possibly understand what was going on. One moment he was dead, and now...now what was he? He was screaming as he tried to figure out what was happening.

Shaking the memory from his head, he glanced towards where Bryan was eerily quiet. He sighed heavily. His second cigarette was fading fast. He wondered what kind of brand this was. He hadn't really cared about it when he'd been offered, but they were going fast and he didn't like it. He just wanted to sit and stoke it for a while. Like a good beer...which is something that he would really appreciate right now.

"We should talk." Bryan whispered at long last, and Mikhail couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"About you blowing my brains out?" The Officer sputtered slightly, dropping his own fag as he looked at his friend in shock. "What's there to talk about? You were given an order and you fulfilled it. I didn't really expect you to spare my life and stage some wonderful rescue attempt like you all did with Anna."

"We should have-"

"Should have done what? What should you have done?" Mikhail looked at Bryan with such a condescending look. "What could you possibly thought to have done? You were undercover, and I was too. We were both doing that gig so that we could save the world right? That was what it was all about. So please don't give me this bullshit of yours. I knew that I was going to die. I knew that I was going to loose my life, and I'm not mad at you."

"Well you should be. I fucking killed you! I left your kid without a parent to raise him, I-"

"Kai took care of Adrien."

"I should have done it. It shouldn't have been Kai's responsibility. I was your best friend, I should have-"

"Bry, you blew my brains all over concrete with your beyblade launcher in front of the whole school. I really didn't expect you to make it up to me by raising my son. I wouldn't have turned it down, but I honestly didn't think you were going to do anything. Besides, I wasn't exactly forthcoming with information on my boy."

"Kai knew right away. He knew without anyone being told who he was." Bryan muttered.

"Well, what can I say, I'm amazing, and the kid looks like me." He waggled his eyebrows, but Bryan was shaking his head.

"He said that he figured it out because you weren't the type of person to bring anyone with you that you didn't care about when you were making your escape." Bryan closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "Mikhail...I killed you...I killed you and, and-"

"And what? As you can see, I'm alive." Mikhail looked at him as though he had three heads. "I'm alive and well and everything is alright. So you need to cut this self loathing bullshit." There was screaming coming from inside the house, and the two glanced back just in time to see Dmitri run up the stairs and disappear into Kiril and Adrien's room. They frowned as they watched the scene. "Want to bet that TJ just hurt TK?"

"TJ? TK?"

"Yeah...Tala Junior and Tiny Kai?"

"What about Jeanie?"

"Ummm MK…Mini Kai?" Bryan burst into a fit of giggles and the old wounds between the two finally started to get healed.

* * *

  
Adeline jerked slightly when she heard screaming. She had just lain her head down on her husband's chest, and then that screeching occurred. She looked over to Kai whose dark eyes wearily blinked open. She slowly started to sit up, pulling on a bathrobe that was resting next to the bed. She tied it around her.

"I'll go see what it is." She whispered to him softly. He shook his head though, and was already sitting up and pulling on a pair of pants. He didn't care much for his shirt. Over the course of that evening she had kissed each one of his scars, both internally and externally. Who cared if someone saw them now? Not when the woman he loved could bravely face them.

He wrapped an arm loosely around her and kissed her cheek before they opened the door and started to walk outside. Kai led the way, the two of them walking slowly down the stairs. They heard loud crying come from the Kiril and Adrien's room, and frowned before pushing the door open. Dmitri was howling at the top of his lungs and the boys were trying to calm him down. Kiril looked up when he saw them. Kai winced. He half expected there to be some question about Tala, but to his surprise, there was none.

Instead he hurriedly asked him to not kill his little brother who was now protectively clasped in his hold. Kai frowned, tilting his head to one side. Adeline looked down the stairs where she could still hear the screaming of her children. She looked at Dmitri with uncertainty.

"What happened?" She asked lightly.

A flourish of Italian later and she gasped in horror and was running down the stairs. Kai was hot on her heels, but when Dmitri started screaming about being killed he sighed and went back to look at the boy. He reached out and gently patted the boy's head.

"I'm not going to kill you buddy." He said in soft Italian. The boy crossed his arms over his chest.

"I don't trust you!" Adrien couldn't help but laugh at that and Kai scowled.

"Well you should, I'm your uncle."

"So was Antonio." The boy pointed out easily, and Kai winced.

"True, but I'm different from him."

"Prove it!"

"Well I'm not killing you for breaking my daughter's hand now am I?" Dmitri frowned.

"But you should! Mama says that you're supposed to treat girls with dig-nee-tee. I didn't! I'm bad! I'm supposed to get punished for being bad!" Kai winced. Considering where the boy grew up, he couldn't help but wonder what type of punishments were the norm in that household. Boris certainly had an interesting variety of punishments in his arsenal, Antonio and Senior probably did too.

"I'm not going to lay a hand on you for making a mistake." He heard someone screaming his name and he sighed and looked to the teenagers. "Can you calm him down? I need to see what's going on..." They nodded.

"We'll go with you." They offered. Dmitri was screaming about how he was going to be killed, but Kiril told him to shut up and instantly he fell quiet. The foursome made it down the stairs in good enough time, and when they got there they saw the chaos in the kitchen that was going on. Jeanie was absolutely inconsolable she was screaming and Adeline was hunched over the girl's hand as she tried to see what was wrong with it.

Both Mikhail and Bryan were getting beers from the fridge and completely ignoring the scene, and the four adults that were apparently in the room when it occurred were all arguing with each other on whose fault it was. The common consensus seemed to be that it was Anna's fault. She was shouting just as loudly back at the others though.

The arguing was getting so loud that by this point no one could hear what anyone else was thinking. Adrien and Kiril could only blink in shock at the whole mess. Mikhail caught sight of them at the door and started towards them. He started talking to them for a while, but no one could hear a word he was saying. Finally at long last the two had enough.

"Will everyone please just shut up!" Silence fell over everyone so only the crying babies could be heard. "Someone take Niko out of the room and calm him down. He's fine and him crying isn't helping!" Rei was more then happy to do so, and quickly tried grabbing a hold of the wriggling baby who just seemed to know something was wrong. "Now is her hand just bruised or is it really broken?" Kai caught the little girl's hand in his own and she wailed loudly.

"Does it really matter? Dranzer should be able to heal her." At that thought, everyone fell silent. He looked at them expectantly. Well...duh. There was a reason that beybladers had very few permanent injuries. There was some element of healing that bitbeasts did. Even Tyson could attest to that. With the amount of wounds he got in his beyblading career he should be hobbling around – but he wasn't.

"Finally, someone actually is thinking for a moment." Mikhail muttered as he shook his head and took a swig out of the beer he'd nabbed. Adrien scowled at him.

"You come back to life and the first thing you do when you're free is smoke and drink booze?" The man looked at him, stunned.

"Beer is hardly booze...it's just alcohol...it's-"

"Filthy." Mikhail sputtered and Adrien shook his head. "And a second thought. Since Dranzer's back with Kai and is the thing keeping Kai sane right now, then I doubt that it can heal Jeanie. Black Dranzer might be able to though." Kai looked at his foster son in confusion for a moment, but everyone else was staring straight at Niko's neck. "Wait a second...where is it?"

No one knew what to say, because where there used to be a necklace with the Black Dranzer pendent on it...now there was nothing. There wasn't even a chain. Black Dranzer had disappeared.


	32. Revelations

**Windstar: **Thanks again to my wonderful reviewer, the one and only, I love you for your patience with this fic. It means the world to me! Not too many chapters left. We're certainly winding down...a few more twists and turns and then it'll be over.

This chapter deals a bit with Operation Desert Storm, if you haven't read it yet, it'd be a good thing to do. Further more, there is a bit of a **warning** in this chapter: slightly creepy tendencies....

Next chapter is VERY dark. it should be up on Wednesday.

**Disclaimer: **Same.

**Chapter Thirty-One: **

"Can someone please explain to me why when we want her to die she's there and when we finally want her around, she's fucking gone?" In a rare moment of complete and total stunned silence, Spencer had simply and clearly had enough. He looked at the bare neck of the baby who was cooing softly as it slept, and at the broken hand of Jeanie who was now finally calm at last.

No one could quite explain what was happening. Everyone had fallen eerily silent at the revelation. It was one thing when Black Dranzer was there, but now that she wasn't around when she was _supposed _to be, there was a problem. Kai sat there with his arms crossed and his expression thoughtful. Oddly enough he didn't seem nearly as concerned as everyone else about Black Dranzer mysteriously vanishing off his son's neck.

Probably because he was a few steps above everyone else.

They hadn't quite put two and two together yet. There was something that was very particular about Black Dranzer that other bitbeasts hadn't quite mastered. Sure there were _some _bitbeasts that were rather particular, but no one was _quite _as particular as Black Dranzer.

No one touched that bird unless she considered them a master. No one. Even the scientists at the Abbey carried her in a box so that she didn't touch anyone. If she claimed his children as her masters, then that was a blood thing. That meant it should follow true that the only other people who could touch that bird without spontaneous self combustion occurring were Tala and his descendents. He highly doubted that Dmitri would have thought of taking the necklace off the boy, but it didn't hurt to ask.

"Hey kiddo, come here for a minute." He said softly as he motioned towards the six year old. All eyes turned towards him. He was ignorant to their stares. "Did you see a black necklace around the baby's neck?" He asked in slow Italian. He wanted to make sure he was understood. The boy nodded. "Did you touch it?" He shook his head again.

"N-no sir." Kai rolled his eyes. What was it going to take to make this kid understand that he really wasn't going to kill him? It seemed that the boy wasn't going to get over that terror for quite some time now though.

"When'd you last see it? Was it before your daddy left?" He asked and the boy nodded quickly.

"Yeah, daddy took it. I saw him. When he walked out, he took it from the baby."

"That's stupid." Anna muttered, and Kai glowered towards her. She raised her hands up in defense. "Tala hates that thing, why would he take it? And why would he need it?"

"I can think of a lot of reasons why he would need to use Black Dranzer. Why he needs it isn't important. He'll bring it back with him and we can ask him then. For now at least we know that it hasn't fallen into the wrong hands right?" No one seemed as easily convinced. They just stared at him like he had nine heads.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He really didn't know how he could explain the situation any better. The fact of the matter was, he honestly and truly didn't know if he wanted to get into that conversation. Tala's business was his own, and if he honestly needed Black Dranzer then it was something that was very personal. It was hard enough for Tala to accept the sacrifice that was done for him. That he had taken the bird was nothing short of spectacularly astounding.

Kiril sighed and rolled his eyes. He slid his hands into his pockets, but as he did so Adrien caught the slight tremor that was running through his fingertips. He looked towards the clock. They only had eighteen hours left. Where the fuck was Tala?

Everyone was starting to mill out of the room. It was getting late and they were more then a little aware of what was up in store for the next day. They looked at each other with that unspoken agreement of getting a few hours of sleep before spending the rest of the day doing whatever it was that Kiril wanted to do.

No one said a word though. They couldn't, the teenager was right in front of them. People awkwardly found excuses and started to file out of the room. Slowly yet surely there was no one there. No one except for Kai, Adeline, Mikhail, and their kids. The other Officers went to check on their students that they hadn't seen for months, and the others went to get some sleep.

Adeline looked at the way that Mikhail and Kai were shifting awkwardly now that they were together in Adrien's presence. Well that needed to get worked out. Sighing, she picked up the twins and moved towards Kiril.

"Help me put them to bed hmm?" He nodded and took the teary eyed girl into his arms and started to follow her out. She glanced back at the three in the room. "Why don't you all talk, I'm sure you have things to say." They looked like they were about to protest, but she was down the hall before they could continue. Kiril followed her quietly, eyes cast downwards. "You alright?" She asked him, he hummed his response.

They walked a while more. Stepping into the nursery that Tyson had put together for her to use. She placed Niko down in one crib, and then Jeanie was placed in the free one. The little girl still looked a bit sour over the fact that her hand was crushed, but on average she hadn't cried forever. The Princess was more then a little happy about that.

She moved across the nursery towards were there were a collection of books, and slowly she pulled out one of her books. It was a leather bound journal that looked like it had been through hell. Kiril stared at her as she pulled it out. Turning around she walked towards Kiril and pressed it into his arms.

"Before he left on his mission, Luka pulled me aside and asked me to look after this for him. He told me that if he didn't come back...I should give it to you. He kindly requested that I not read it, and so I have followed his wishes. You'll notice that the wax seal he placed on the ties that cover it is still in place." He nodded vaguely. His eyes were tracing the book with open curiosity.

"He came back though." She nodded.

"He did, but I think a part of him would have opted that in the six months that he was considered to be dead, you would have read it. So I give it to you and I leave it to you to decide whether or not you want to read it. I strongly urge you to do so though." He nodded, and she motioned towards a large and comfy looking lazy-boy in the corner. She smiled slightly and turned to leave the room.

He couldn't really make himself wait very long before he broke the seal and started to read. It was dating back several years. In fact, it was dating back to the exact day that he had been adopted. Closing his eyes he took a deep breath before nodding and preparing himself to go through with reading.

_1. Perhaps the most exhilarating day of my life, I have forsaken any and all thoughts of continuing my childhood and have moved into the shoes of being an adult. No, that's not right. I haven't been a child for many years. I'm not quite sure what exactly I should be saying in this journal, but I was given it by my brother only a few hours ago._

_I was told long ago that not using the things that have been given to you is a waste. I've never wanted to be wasteful, least of all to a family member, so here I am. Writing. I adopted my little brother today. Our mother was a woman named Marina Valkov, and for the most part she was a wonderful mother to him. She took care of him the best she could, which is saying something because she is completely and totally insane._

Kiril flinched at his brother's harsh words. His mother was not insane. His mother was a noble woman and his father had been the insane one! He was sorely tempted to throw the book away, but this was what Tala's final words were going to be to him, so he continued reading.

_For one, when I was a kid she tried to kill me. Not only once, but almost every time we were in the room with each other. Her excuse was that it was revenge on our father for daring to make it so that I wouldn't have to be the one who ran the Black Dranzer server._

In short: what the fuck?

_My dearest friend and companion (and the brother who gave me this book [why the hell am I explaining myself in my own diary?]) and I were genetically engineered to be the perfect specimens for my biological parents' great plan. We were to be the only ones capable of controlling the server. A legendary bit beast named Black Dranzer had been created, and from its mental capacity the server was made._

_I was born to protect my brother. Every fiber of my being is dedicated to protecting him. It is in my base DNA. It has been genetically encoded within me to protect him forever and ever. My brother was created to be the master of Black Dranzer, I was created to defend him from the repercussions of the demon's power._

_My mother didn't want it that way. She wanted it the other way. She wanted to claim that her son, that I was the one who could control the bird. She wanted me to be the one to suffer so. For my brother, isn't really my brother, just a genetically similar specimen that was made in the test tube next to mine. Far different from my little brother who is truly my blood relative._

_As revenge for the betrayal my father clearly showed her...she tried to murder me. At first she tried to slaughter me as a child, next she tried to feed me to a wolf, and shortly thereafter she tried to poison me with drugs._

_She was the one who was behind the horrors of Balkov Abbey..._

The date changed. It was years into the future. Years into the future and on a date that Kiril could never forget. It was the year after Anna had left.

_Dearest Kiril, I have long since decided that writing was foolish. I understand that by leaving this for you to read though; perhaps could be the only way that I could talk to you once more. I gave up writing this the day I started. You must have noticed that by now. Yet I now have the answer to what this truly is. I now have the answer to what I can leave for you._

_You need to understand this life. My life. For I know that I will die one day, and that when I die you will not understand what happened. Talking to you seems to fail. We do not talk anymore. Our relationship has been destroyed._

_Our father once told me that I should never let a woman run my life. I did, and now this life is ruined. Please...let me tell you of what happened. Let me tell you the story of the death of our relationship the only way I know how._

_There was a plane crash. Kai and I had gone to South Africa in order to get me away from things that reminded me of Anna. He promised me that everything was going to be alright, and so I believed him and accepted what he was saying. It was only going to be for a week or two and then we were going to return and go to Italy to take you home._

_I hadn't been able to sleep...every time I fell asleep I kept thinking about Anna. I couldn't stop thinking about her. So I forced myself to stay awake. Kai was worried though...he gave me a sleeping pill and I passed out._

_I can't tell you how horrible it is to wake up to the feeling of the world collapsing around you. The whole plane shook, the people around us were screaming, and all I could do was stare stupidly at everything and feel as though everything was going to fall apart. The next thing I knew, Kai had me in his arms and he was summoning Dranzer._

_He'd told me not to talk, so I didn't. I didn't say a word. I just stared at the children that were screaming, the babies that would never have a chance, the men and women and stupid pocket dogs that were all going to die. Kai ripped the roof off the plane – it was crashing anyway so cabin pressure wasn't an issue – and then we were airborne._

_Only, we didn't get out fast enough. The plane hit the ground and it exploded. The fire and shrapnel crashed into us and I started to scream. I couldn't help it, I screamed, and the world around me vanished before my very eyes._

_The next thing I remember is someone telling me to drink. Except I couldn't understand what was going on around me. I could feel someone holding my head back, and ordering me to drink, but I couldn't understand what was going on. I just couldn't. My lungs were burning and I could barely breathe, and my ears had popped. Everything hurt. There was nothing that didn't hurt._

_Then I remember something in my mouth, something that was sliding down my throat. It was killing me and I couldn't stop it. I couldn't move to stop it. There was just that damned voice that was ordering me to drink, and I was too out of it to understand what was happening. I couldn't move to get away, I couldn't see what was happening, and the voice was too faint for me to recognize it. As far as I knew – I was dead, and this was hell._

_My eyes were glued shut, and once I managed to work out well enough that Kai should have been there and somehow I managed to open my eyes and see him. He was bleeding heavily and was trying to get me to drink water. I couldn't even work that out for myself though. I could only try to work out the words that he was saying. I couldn't help but fall in and out of a conscious state of mind. Barely awake and barely asleep, I don't remember the things that happened directly after that. It all became a blur. All I remembered was the death and the cries and the pain and the horror of that world. That nightmare._

_Over and over again, the only thing I knew was fire. There was fire everywhere, burning people alive, burning me alive. It was scorching my legs and body. I was concussed and so the only thing my mind could work out was that bloody and fiery scene._

_Kai tried to get me to eat, and the only thing he had, was the flesh of his bitbeast, Dranzer. Dranzer saved our lives that day. By offering us her flesh, she kept us alive. We managed to survive by eating her, and when it seemed like I was going to die fully and completely, Kai gave me all except for the last bite of the body of Black Dranzer._

Kiril felt his blood freeze, he kept turning the pages, horrified.

_I survived because of them. Because they were the ones that were keeping me alive. To this day I do not believe anyone ever learned of that truth. Even I cannot deny the results of that meal left me scarred emotionally and mentally. You may have noticed that I cannot be near Dranzer without crying. I did see you watching that one day..._

_However the reason as to why is simply because of guilt. Pure guilt. I did not come for you after that day because my body was destroyed and my mind was shattered. I couldn't appear before you as anything less then a man you remembered. I couldn't come before you as a stuttering and terrified twit who couldn't even look at his own shadows._

_Planes made me more nervous, fires made me shake with fear. What could I do or say? I was broken and shattered inside. I couldn't be before you. I was embarrassed. You last saw me as a man that you held great respect for. Your father figure...and I let you down._

_Words could never express how sorry I am for that, my dearest little brother._

Kiril read faster now, throwing the pages back as he soaked in the information before him. He read about the truth about what happened in Balkov Abbey. He read about his mother. He read about his father's death.

_My deepest regret in that whole situation was that I never tried to get you to say goodbye at least one last time. I didn't managed to tell you that he was really not the monster you imagined him to be. I never truly hated the bastard, but I never loved him either. He was not a person that I cried over. I do not think much on him. Still though...I wish you could have met him just one last time. One time as a father, perhaps you wouldn't have been truly ruined by our mother. Perhaps you could have seen that he was not all evil...he truly did love you with all his heart and soul._

Tears were coming to his eyes. Kiril turned the next page, his breath coming more rapidly as he read his brother's confessions. Confessions to him. Then came the doctor. The memories that he did not remember were now being unlocked.

_When you started to act odd, everyone was worried. Yet even I hate doctors. I hated them with a passion. So I didn't want to introduce you to one. Instead, I had him come to the campus as a friend and let him stay for a few days._

_You started off with small things. You'd take things from a room and not remember them. You'd start arguing with everyone about any little thing. You would threaten to do harm to yourself and others. We were scared for you...we worried...worried that you would be harmed in some way. Then...then you started to hurt Adrien._

_You started to slap him across the face and then blame other students at the school. You threw him down several flights of stairs. You would have him take the blame for your wrong doings. You would do anything you could to do him harm._

_You never would know just how much we stopped Kai from killing you. He wanted to murder you so much through your life, but we kept him from you because we were starting to get the bigger picture. A split personality; one that could not be controlled and left no awareness on you in the end. You were ignorant to the actions you were doing. You simply thought Adrien as a weak and clumsy child when in actuality he maintained a grace that is rare in one his age._

_He isn't clumsy, and he isn't stupid. He simply carried great faith with you. Still, we could no more convince him to leave you alone so that he would be safe, then we could tell you of your split personality. We tried too, many times, and each time you would forget. Each time you would not be aware of what was happening around you. You grew angry and would break things. You started screaming and wouldn't stop._

_So we stopped trying, and focused only on taking care of you and Adrien. That is, until things started to get bad. You drugged him one night when you were fourteen. He was barely awake or aware of what was going on around him. Then you proceeded to strangle him within an inch of his life._

Kiril felt his breath stop. That...that happened? That seriously happened? That couldn't be right. That couldn't possibly be right. He would never-no...that's right...he never would have done something like that...but this other him...this other him would do something like that.

_Kai just happened to be the one who found you. And you're lucky that Spencer was there. He kept Kai from killing you then and there, and he managed to resuscitate Adrien. If you'll remember, Adrien was missing for six months out of the school year._

Kiril felt bile rise in his throat. He didn't want to think about that, still, he kept on reading.

* * *

Just down the hall, there was another climactic moment taking place. Kai and Mikhail were both seated before their brunette son who was fidgeting with his sleeves awkwardly. He appreciated Adeline trying to get them to talk, but he really didn't want to get too involved in this whole deal. It was a little more then necessary in his opinion.

"So...how's this going to work?" Mikhail finally asked as he sighed softly.

"Umm..." The teen bit his lip and fidgeted even more. Kai just let out a long breath of air.

"It seems clear to me, you're his real father Mikhail so, and you should have custody-"

"You're abandoning me?" Adrien gasped as he looked up at the man that he had always thought of as a father figure. Kai winced.

"That's not what I meant at all, it's just that...well...you've always said that I wasn't a replacement for your father, and now that he's here-"

"Damn Hiwatari, don't you ever use your head?" Mikhail hissed as he knocked his brother on the back of his skull. "He wants us both in his life, not one or the other, right Junior?" The teen nodded, awkwardly.

"I mean, I know that HE is obviously-" Kai was frowning now.

"HE? What's HE got to do with it?" Even Mikhail was looking confused at this. He was looking horrified.

"Well...you have Niko and Jeanie-" Realization drew on the Executive's face.

"You thought that because of the twins our agreement for me to teach you about HE was void?" The teen blushed slightly, and Mikhail was looking between them in confusion.

"You want to run HE?" He asked in stunned shock. "Seriously?" The blush only deepened, and the teen bit his lip.

"Well...I don't know...I just...I..." Kai sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Niko and Jeanie are both heirs to an empire in France, they don't need HE and from what I can see, they don't want it."

"They're babies! They don't know what they want!" Adrien couldn't be more scandalized at the thought.

"They want food and water and cuddles and giggles and their mama. Right now I don't think they give a damn about HE." Adrien couldn't help but laugh at that. "Listen kid, I love you. You're my kid." He glanced warily towards Mikhail. "I want you to be happy. If that means you stay with me, then fine. If that means you stay with your father, fine. Either way though...don't cut either of us out of your life. We're here for you, and we want you to be happy."

"What he said." Mikhail smirked as he looked at his foster brother. Adrien just nodded.

"Yeah...yeah I got that." He still looked uncertain. "You have to care though....you can't...not care..." The two parents looked at each other.

"Junior...am I jealous of Kai? Yes. I'm more jealous then anyone on this planet can be. I never thought that I'd end up being jealous of my dipshit brother that I spent my life trying to bully into submission, but I am. I'm so fucking pissed off that I didn't get the chance to be your dad. I'm so infuriated that I wasn't able to be there for you...

"But I can't change that now. I can do nothing to stop that. The only thing I can do, in all honesty, is move on. You're my boy, and I love you...but you're his son. He's the man who raised you. He's the man who took care of you. He's the man that led the life I wanted to lead. I can no more deny his influence on you then I can ignore the fact that I was dead.

"You have nothing to be ashamed about. You have nothing to be concerned about. You have nothing to fear. I love you, and I love your father." He looked pointedly at the dumbfounded expression on his brother's face. "I understand that you two are close. So...if we want to put a name on it....joint custody sounds fine to me. Especially because I want you to be happy and I don't think my keeping you away from him or him keeping you from me would make you happy." He hesitated slightly. "Of course, you could stop me if I'm wrong."

But Adrien was smiling. He was smiling brightly, and he moved forwards and hugged both of them. He couldn't have been happier. There was nothing that he wanted more then this. Both his fathers with him and agreeing to let him be with them. He was so happy. His very mind was filled with such delight.

"Why don't you go grab Kiril...we'll run down to get some ice cream or something from the store." Kai offered as he tried to think of something that they could do together. Adrien nodded quickly before turning and running off. He didn't know where Adeline took Kiril, but his first guess was the nursery. He couldn't help but feel more then a little excited about the whole thing.

Running into the babies' room he caught sight of the leather bound journal that was resting on the ground. He frowned and moved towards it, his fingers tracing the volume's binding before picking it up. Looking around, he called out to his friend.

Yet before he could even get his voice out, he felt a hand cover his mouth and his body was knocked to the floor. He gasped. A pressure was on his back, and he could feel his hands being tugged roughly behind him. He hissed as he was torn backwards, his body started to whine in protest, but the hand on his mouth cut off his shout that was forming.

He squeezed his eyes shut, struggling to keep himself focused. His arm was burning with a fiery pain and was shouting at him as though it was his fault it was hurting. A part of him just wanted to tell it shut up, but he was having enough problems vocalizing at this moment. He could feel his wrists getting tied together, and then he was roughly pulled up and shoved into the lazy-boy chair.

He groaned slightly, and blinked up to stare at his friend who was crouching over him. Adrien glowered slightly, he was so not in the mood for this; especially when he'd just finished this conversation with his friend. He was not going to just sit here and deal with this aspect because in all honesty – he really didn't fucking like this ass hole.

"Untie my hands, you're hurting my arm." He hissed darkly, eyes narrowing at the older teenager who snorted and rolled his eyes. Kiril reached out and ruffled his hair slightly.

"The world's favorite heir doesn't like it?" He leaned forwards. "What did I say about giving me orders?" The slap was more then a little expected. This brat was almost more predictable then Pooh Bear's honey addiction.

"Fuck you." Brown eyes flashed with anger. He caught the younger boy about the throat and squeezed it. Adrien glowered, his breath caught, and he could do nothing but glare at the teen across from him. He was more then a little done with this whole situation, and he was tired of seeing Kiril looking so terrified at the idea of the split personality.

"Don't you say that to me. You're my servant-"

"I'm Kiril's best friend. I'm not anyone's servant- you least of all." Those damning words took the last of the air in his lungs and he hissed as he tried to turn his head away or at least make his assailant open his hand enough to get more air in his lungs.

"You really don't get it do you?" The bronze haired impersonator snickered as he started to squeeze the life out of his cousin. "You're in no position to be arguing with me, stupid boy." Adrien probably had some kind of rebuttal, but at the moment he couldn't think of anything. He was just trying to focus on anything except the black spots that were dancing across his vision. "I've been reading the most interesting story." Green eyes fell on the book. Kiril let up just enough for his cousin to take a much needed breath before he continued to press down on the slim throat. "Tala wrote a letter to me."

"To...Kiril..." Adrien hissed, eyes starting to go bloodshot. He was seeing stars. He couldn't keep himself focused.

"Hmm...maybe...maybe not. He outed you though. You've been a very bad boy."

"Jack...ass..." Kiril exerted a bit more pressure on the boy's throat before letting up for another breath and starting to squeeze again.

"You shouldn't be saying things like that to me. I'm strangling you here." Adrien didn't have anything to say about that. He was still struggling to keep his senses about him and not pass out. His oxygen deprived brain was not appreciating this and even though Kiril was letting him breathe enough to stay conscious, it was doing nothing to help him focus. He couldn't help but just stare up blankly. "You're also though...the only one who can save my life."

For a moment everything went blank. There was absolutely nothing, nothing except white all around. White lights, white walls, white whatever. It was all fucking white. Panic rose in the younger teen's chest before he eventually fell into odd relaxation. He felt his body relax and he felt his mind start to go numb. Just as he was about to completely fade away though, air flew into his throat and he blinked up at Kiril's face with groggy misunderstanding. He didn't know what was happening, but he knew he didn't like it.

He moaned slightly, and tried to move away, but he couldn't. He could only sit there and lay completely compliant in the teen's hands. The fingers around his throat had lessoned somewhat. He was too dizzy to be able to focus. He was too stunned to really do anything. He just lay there and tried to focus on the spinning world about him.

"I want you to bring me back to life, or keep me from dying. Do you understand me Adrien?" The younger teen was trying to focus on the words, but they didn't make much sense. He had no idea what his friend was talking about.

No...not his friend...his friend's sadistic, jack ass, bastard aspect that was controlling his body. The brunette tried to focus on exactly what that meant, but he couldn't quite get his mind around it. He could do nothing except blink in dumb silence. Kiril didn't seem to like that and so he slapped him once across the face.

"You listening to me?!" He hissed viciously as he tried to get the younger teen to make some sort of response.

"I don't think he's listening to anyone." Kiril whipped around, staring in shock at Mikhail who had slowly crept into the room behind him. His dark eyes were shimmering with a power that was unrivaled, and the teenager licked his lips as he tried to think about what it was he was supposed to do or say. "Don't even think about retreating. You and me are going to have a talk."

"You're dead." Kiril pointed out, as he looked at the man before him.

"I've been brought back. Don't try to pull this 'oh I didn't know you were alive' bullshit on me. I'm not an idiot."

"What the fuck do you want? Just leave. I'm do-" Kiril was roughly pulled towards the man and more importantly – away from Adrien.

"What the fuck do I want? Hmm...how about you...gone?"

"You won't have to wait long. I'll be dead by tomorrow night." Mikhail rolled his eyes and shoved him to the floor. Then he moved towards where his son was still blinking stupidly at the ground.

"You know, we were going to bring you out for ice cream, but I feel like our field trip has been cut short." He muttered as he untied the knot that was holding his son's arms behind his back.

_Adrien?_ The brunette's eyes fell closed and his head lolled to his father's chest. He was so tired. He just wanted to go to sleep. He was so very sleepy... _Adrien...wake up. _The sweet voice of his mother whispered into his ears and he shuddered slightly as he tried to ignore it.

_Leave me alone._ He whispered to her, mind fading into silence. Sleep...sleep sounded very good right now.

_Adrien, you can save Kiril from his mind if you wake up._ She told him sternly.

_Kiril's going to die in a day, what does it matter?_ He replied even as his eyes slowly opened again to the nauseating image of the world spinning around him. His eyes were burning and he just wanted to close them. He was far too tired to think of anything else.

_He won't die. You can save him. You can give Tala the time he needs. If you save him now you'll give him more time later. Please...believe in me._

_O...kay... _He could hear his father arguing with the teenager, and he tried to focus on that, but it was so very difficult and he settled on just staring at the scene before him. The babies were still sleeping quietly (somehow) and Kiril was standing by Niko's crib looking...looking insane.

For a moment he couldn't believe he actually listened to this asshole's plans his whole life and that he still believed in him. He couldn't believe he actually thought that his best friend and this jack ass were the same person. Hatred flooded his veins. The same hatred that had fueled him when he murdered Antonio only a few days before. He slowly reached his hand out to touch Vita's bitchip. Then with frighteningly calm eyes he reached out his hand and just managed to catch hold of Kiril's hand.

Both Mikhail and Kiril stared at him, but he met Kiril's brown eyes with his calm green ones, and suddenly the older teen yelled out and tried to pull away. Vita was glowing brightly on the chain around Adrien's neck and through their clasped hands her power flowed through them.

It targeted the specific spot in Kiril's abused brain, it found the exact location that this darker and evil persona was living, and with the finality that only an angel of death could maintain – it struck it down. It burned it away and removed it off the face of the earth. It was destroyed in such a spectacular fashion that light burst before their eyes and the force shook them to their cores. All three of them were crushed under the weight of the power and were knocked to the floor.

The babies were crying again, and once more Kai and Adeline hurried inside to see what was going on. The sight before them made them stare in shock though. Kiril was leaned against the wall, his eyes blinking rapidly as he tried to focus on the world around him. He couldn't quite figure out what had happened and it looked like he was extraordinarily confused. He didn't seem capable of normal thoughts. He raised shaking hands to his head and he shook it as though trying to focus on the world around them.

Adrien was completely unconscious on the ground, bruises already forming around his slim throat. He was shivering and was curled up in a ball. He was gripping at his neck as though trying to ward off the feeling of those hands that were around him. He was extremely pale and there was sweat on his brow.

Mikhail was crouched over him, checking his pulse and making sure he was alright. He was unharmed completely, just looking a bit confused as to what had happened. He looked up at Kai and gave him a pleading look. Almost instantly, the would-be-younger-man moved forwards and placed a hand on Kiril's head.

"You alright?" He asked softly as he looked at his nephew. The boy was blinking rapidly, and when he moved his hands, Kai could already see that the countdown had begun ten fold. His eyes were starting to get bloodshot and the pupils had dilated greatly. There was a slight tremor running through his body.

"I don't feel good." He whispered before promptly throwing up all of the heir's shoes. Adeline covered her mouth with her hands before stepping into the room and kneeling beside Adrien and Mikhail.

"What happened?" She asked softly and the brunette glanced at her.

"Haven't he foggiest. He snapped and was strangling Junior here, and then Adrien just reached out and touched him and we were all on the ground. Vita's glowing." He added as an after thought.

Kai glanced back at his son for a moment before looking at Kiril who had tears starting to run down his face. The teenager was on the verge of a panic attack, or at least it looked like that until his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he slumped forwards.

His body started to seize and Kai shouted as he caught him. All of his muscles were spazing uncontrollably and it was just pure practice that made the man shove something into the teen's mouth that broke him out of his stupor. He looked back at the three people behind him, his eyes wide with shock.

"Didn't they say that it would be another eight hours before something like this happened?" He asked with his eyes wide.

"Whatever the hell just happened...it sped up the process..." Mikhail whispered, glancing down to where Vita was still glowing. "What the hell did you do?" And as if to taunt him, her light promptly went out.


	33. Remember, I Always Come Back

**Windstar: **This is the last part of this particular sob story, and as a **warning **there are major talks of death. It's creepy and hard to read during some moments, apologies.

I hope you enjoy, thanks once again to my only reviewer, you're the best.

**Disclaimer: **Same as always.

**Chapter Thirty-Two:**

Kiril's seizures started that night. They didn't let up for the rest of the time that he was suffering from the withdrawal. He'd wake up occasionally and blink at the world around him. Usually that would lead to him throwing up though. He would be overwhelmed with nausea and would vomit off the side of the bed he'd been brought to lay on.

The adults took turns going back and forth between Kiril, the twins, the other F-Fives, and Adrien who was still sleeping off the effects of whatever had happened in the nursery. No one could explain what was going on, and no one understood the ramifications of Adrien's unconscious state. They didn't yet figure out what Tala had said before he'd left. They hadn't yet realized the task that he had been charged with.

Kiril was dying far faster then anyone had thought he would be, and they didn't know what it was they were supposed to do. They tried to keep him hydrated, but he coughed around the fluids and he gasped and choked on any food that they tried to give him. Eventually Spencer went out to the store and bought the equipment needed for an IV drip and started to set up an electrolyte transfer so that the boy could at least have some fluids running through his body.

As he readied the needle the teenager's fevered mind played tricks on him, and the boy more then willingly gave up his arm. The adults couldn't help but flinch at the sight. It was more then a little sickening. Anna wasn't the only one who was crying either. The first few hours carried on in that fashion, but then the seizures turned into full on fits.

The boy's nails started to dig into his skin. He was scratching away at everything, and drawing blood in some spots that he just couldn't leave alone. There was talk of starting to pin him down, but that only led to him getting more and more fitful. It wasn't going to help anyone if they did. There was a very good chance that he would need to be sedated though. He was far too combative.

It didn't take long for them to realize that with the amount of movement he was doing, the needle they'd put in his arm couldn't stay there. He'd tugged it out more then once, and eventually they just depended on a few injections of things here and there. There was nothing else they could do.

Everyone kept looking out the window, hoping and praying that Tala was going to get there soon. They didn't have much time left, and no one knew where he was. After nine hours or so, the whole group was exhausted and were at their wits end. Kiril was literally falling apart before their eyes and there was nothing that they could do to fix it.

Anna sat by him in an almost constant vigil. Michaels had ordered her into the room and refused to let her leave it for any reason. He told her that he'd take care of Dmitri, and she needed to spend time with Kiril before he died. Not that there was much that she could do while he was in such a delerious state of mind.

Still, there were a few moments where the spells didn't seem as bad, and he was able to look up at her and they had the opportunity to talk. Not that they ever did...they didn't have the fortitude to talk to each other. Neither had any idea what it was that they were supposed to say. They just stared at each other and then when the next spell happened, they dealt with it as it came.

Eventually though, one of them had to break. They couldn't stay like that forever. She was wiping the sweat off his brow when he finally was conscious enough to catch her wrist in his hand. He was frightfully pale and his eyes were almost totally red with the amount of blood vessels that had popped.

"I...I...want...to...talk." He finally managed to get out as he tried to get passed the mucous and the sweat and the nausea that was overcoming him. She nodded, looking in his eyes. "Why...did..." He chocked on the words, tears starting to fall again. He didn't have much fluids left to spare, but he was trying. She bit her lip.

"I leave?" He nodded. "They were going to kill you. My family...they sent their men after Spencer and Bryan....and then that car crash that you and Tala and Adrien were in...They said that if I didn't go with them they'd kill you."

"You...lied to me..." He choked. "Said you wouldn't...le-leave." She ran her hand through tangled hair.

"I'm so sorry baby. I'm so sorry."

"Wan...wanted you to be...my...mama..." He groaned, clenching his abused eyes shut for a long while as he struggled to fight back another wave of dizziness that was threatening to overcome him. Her fingers froze in his hair. "Go...was gonna tell you...when you left....you blamed papa..."

"I wanted him to be mad at me...I wanted him to not come after me, I wanted him to hate me."

"He loves you." Kiril tried to open his eyes again, but winced and closed them once more. He covered them with his arm, and she turned off the small light that was still on in the room. She would do anything to make him more comfortable.

"I know that, it was a foolish plan. It didn't work obviously."

"I hated...you." His whole body started to shake again, and she held him still and let him get it out of his system before trying to get him to drink some water. He swallowed what little he could and choked on the rest. "He...he left cause of you..."

"I"m sorry..."

"I jus...wanted...you...and him...to come home...lef...all alone..." She nodded.

"I'm so sorry baby. I'm so so sorry."

"Then he die..." He looked at her with such a depressing look on his face, and she gathered him into her arms.

"I'm sorry..." She could feel him struggle to wrap her arms around him, and then she felt the dams break and the tears that were soaking into her shirt.

"I don't want to die!" He cried out brokenly. "I don't want to die!" She bit her lip, her own tears starting to fall. She rocked him against her. "Wh-what'd I do? Why-why me?! I jus got my famly ba...I jus got my famly ba! I wan...I don wan ta die!"

He was clinging to her, crying harder and harder as he tried to keep himself focused enough. He was slipping again though, and through the tears and the pain he lost his ability to speak and started to shake once more. Once more he started to throw up. Only he didn't have anything to throw up and could only dry heave. He gasped and coughed and cried, and there was nothing that anybody could do. There was nothing that anyone could say to make it better.

For the first time in years, his family had been brought back together. His father, his mother, and his new brother. They were all together. Adrien was there, Kai was there, Mikhail was there. Everyone was there. He wanted them to be there. Then Tala left and he was dying.

He didn't want to die. He couldn't die now! He couldn't die now! He just couldn't! He cried harder and harder into his stupor. He wanted Tala. He wanted his brother, his father! He wanted his father to come back and just be there with him. Wherever Tala had vanished off to he wanted to be there too.

He didn't want to die without seeing him one more time. He didn't mean what he said to him. He didn't mean to get so mad. He just wanted to see him one last time. He just wanted to see him once more. Now he wasn't sure what it was that he was supposed to do. He couldn't handle it anymore. He was falling to pieces and there was nothing that anyone could do to save him. He was going to die, and that was that.

His family was finally going to be together again and now he wasn't allowed to be apart of it. Then he thought about Adrien. He'd killed Adrien. He'd killed him! That's why he wasn't waking up, and that's why he wasn't there anymore. He didn't even know why he wanted to be alive anymore. He didn't even know what he was holding onto anymore. He just wanted everything to be fixed.

He thought back to his brother's journal that he'd been reading before he'd woken up from the dissociative identity episode and stared at Kai before him and he'd started seizing.

_Dearest Kiril,_

_I'm leaving soon, and this will be my last mission. I've told Adeline that if I do not make it out of this mission alive, you are to receive this book as my last words to you. I'm sure you'll hate me fore them though. You won't like them. You'll probably rip up the letter I'd given you when you were in the hospital. I expected that._

_That's why written all those words I said in the letter right here for you to read now. It's harder to rip up a book, and if you made it this far I doubt you'll turn it away now._

_So here it is:_

_I love you. I love you so much. You're my boy, my child – my brother. My Chiro. You're the sun in my sky and the stars in my night. I know that we haven't gotten along well over the past few years, but please know that everything that I did in this life was for your safety and your betterment._

_This final mission that I'm going to do, is for you._

_I finally found Anna. She's going to be able to come home and when she does I'll be able to give you the mother you always wanted. She'll be here for you once more. I won't let her abandon you, and we'll be the family that you always wanted. I know that I did this poorly and that I haven't been the best father or brother to you. Please...forgive me. I did things the only way I knew how._

_When I get back, teach me how to be the father you want. Talk to me about things that you want. Tell be about the dreams you have. Tell me how I can help. Tell me what you want to do in life. Tell me what it is you need. I'm here for you, always._

_Only, if you're reading this, then I probably didn't come back. I probably left. I'm not here for you anymore, and I failed you once again. I left you forever and there's no changing that. So if this is the case and these are the last words I'll be able to say to you._

_Then I have decided to say these particular words:_

_Please, don't avenge my death. Don't hunt the people that have killed me. Don't come after me._

_Don't do those things, but instead...live a life that I wish I could have seen. You know about what I've said on the topic of your DID (MPD), you know what I think you should say to Adrien, you know what I think about you doing missions out of your ability._

_But all of that doesn't matter._

_What matters is you. I want you to live and live happily. I want you to be able to look up each day and be happy with the world that you have been given. I want you to love and be loved in return. I want you to be able to have the opportunity to share your life with someone. I want you to grow old and have grandchildren. I want you to be able to live the life you want to live._

_Don't hold onto my shadow, just grow and be safe. Be safe and dream. If I've died, then whisper your dreams to me and I will hold them in my heart and guard them. I will not let anyone kill your dreams._

_I believe in you Kiril. I believe in you and I want you to be happy. So live, live my dearest son. Don't let this world get you down. Just live and let go of my memory. I will watch over you forever. I will never let anything happen to you. I'll be here for you._

_I promise you, I will guard and protect you until the end of my days. You will be able to live freely and I shall love you each and every day._

_You have been one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and I love you more then words can say._

_Your brother, your father, your friend, your commanding officer, but most importantly: your family no matter how you call me...._

_Yuri Balkov._

Tala's words to him made him want to fight for life. He wanted to keep on going. He wanted to stay alive. He wanted to be able to see his brother one last time. He wanted to tell him that he was going to do as he said. He wanted to tell him that he was clinging for life. Yet as the hours dragged on, he didn't know if he could. He didn't know if he'd ever get the opportunity to see his brother one last time. He let out tears of despair.

He struggled to keep himself focused but his sanity was failing him. His arms were getting scratched and torn to shreds and he couldn't stop it from happening. He was slowly starting to lose everything that he had left, and there was nothing at all that he could do. Still, in those moments that he lay there, when some sanity graced his mind...he would press his head to Anna's body and she would cradle him protectively all the while trying to give him some lasting comfort.

The boy was shivering painfully the whole while, but there was nothing that could be done for that. He was going back and forth between hot and cold flashes and there were times when he spoke deliriously and wasn't making much sense. In those moments, Anna tried to talk to him and would answer what little she could make sense of.

He wept and shivered and was incapable of controlling either his bowels or anything else. Still, Anna stayed by his side and sang songs to him and whispered confessions and never let up on her vigil. The others came and went, but she refused to leave. It seemed like she had finally understood where it was that she was supposed to be right then and there, and she wasn't going to move for the life of her.

And her sitting by Kiril's side gave the others the time and space they needed to try to figure out just why it was that Adrien wasn't waking up. Everyone's favorite brunette was simply sleeping away, and no matter how many times he was shaken or how many times someone opened his eyes to elicit a response did he awaken. He was completely and totally out of it.

Kai and Mikhail were more then a little concerned, and considering how they were struggling to keep from killing anything, they were holding up the best that they could. By now it was more then a little obvious that Jeanie's hand was broken but there was nothing that they could do about that either. As soon as Tala returned with Black Dranzer they'd deal with it then.

More then once they'd tried to get a hold of the vanishing redhead who was fast running out of time to get back to Japan. More then once someone had asked Kai if he was really sure he had no idea where Tala was, and more then once he said that he honestly had no clue where his brother was. All he knew was that he had drove to the airport.

That threw everyone up in arms. Tala? In an airport? By himself? _With _Black Dranzer?_  
_

"And you didn't go with him?!" Ivan gasped as he stared at Kai who was making himself his fifth shot of espresso. Mikhail was getting another cigarette from Bryan in a much needed attempt to try to get himself to relax.

He almost would have preferred being in Mecca right now. At least there he didn't have to worry about shit like this. Life fucking sucked when it wanted to. Especially because Bry was fast running out of cigarettes and Tyson was complaining about how the house was starting to smell like them. Something about how his lady wasn't going to appreciate it.

To be totally honest, Kai was more then a little pissed when Ivan said that. For someone who dropped out of their lives so conveniently, he really couldn't stand the fact that he was getting a lecture from the midget.

"Listen to me right now." His voice was like ice, and the room practically froze with the ire in his tone. "If you ever, fucking try to correct me or tell me what to do again, I'm going to kill you." Ivan sputtered, staring at him in shock. Michaels looked up from where he'd been pouring Dmitri a bowl of cereal to eat for breakfast.

That was new. So much for them all still being friends. There definitely was some animosity between those two in particular. The other former Demolition Boys were looking less then concerned with the situation, it was almost as if it was expected. Ivan sighed and looked away. There was nothing that could be done about it now.

Still though, Michaels couldn't help but glance at the group in dismay. Where were the friends that would laugh and joke through anything? Where were the buddies that were there for each other no matter what? Where had that camaraderie gone? Why had it fled? These past few years...they couldn't have been that bad could they have been?

Then again, the proof was right before him. He looked to the boy-turned-man that he'd adopted the day that he'd been captured. He was talking softly to Mikhail and they looked like they were going to run down to the liquor store to get booze and cigarettes on the way back.

He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to think. Bryan had never really been an angel, but he couldn't remember him being so keen on smoking or drinking when he was younger. He half wanted to blame Mikhail for it (it was Mikhail who'd introduced Bryan to that world), but that wouldn't get him brownie points. In fact, it wouldn't get him anywhere at all. He hadn't spoken a word to Bryan in a while, and they certainly hadn't brought up the adoption papers that were practically meaningless at this point.

He sighed heavily. Dmitri smiled up at him and offered him a spoon full of his cheerios. He just shook his head and patted that red hair. The only thing that seemed to come out of this whole situation was that Dmitri was still alive.

Still, considering all the wrong that had happened, that wasn't much of a plus side. The tiny child was happy enough with them, but that didn't mean anything. He didn't know his father, hell he didn't know any of the people who wanted him so badly. Anna had told him stories. All kinds of stories.

How Tala had painted that nursery, how Kai and Bryan had put the crib together, how Spencer and Ian had filled the room with toys. Kiril had helped his brother with the painting. Tala would pick up the scrawny kid and put him on his shoulders and the boy would put hand prints all around the top part of the wall where it met the ceiling.

They'd been so happy together...that family had been so happy. Sure, Dmitri was alive, and they were all together again...but so much had changed. Somehow, Michaels didn't think that they'd ever get back to being that family they once were.

Kai wanted Ian's head on a platter, Tala and Anna couldn't help but fight with each other, Kiril was dying, Adrien was unconscious for some reason, Bryan and Mikhail were smoking and drinking themselves into oblivion, and Spencer wasn't sane enough to hold all of them together. Dmitri was too young to be any help; he didn't even seem to understand what was going on around him.

He actually asked where his grandfather was not too long ago, and he was just starting to realize that he wasn't going back home anymore. Not that it was much of a home, but he was starting to show signs of confusion. He didn't understand what was happening. It was one thing when the teenagers or babies were around – he seemed to like being with them, but it was another thing all together now that he was surrounded by a bunch of adults that were too busy dealing with other problems to sit down and explain things to him.

He simply didn't know what was happening, and he was starting to get confused. Michaels couldn't help it. He was frustrated. This whole situation was blowing entirely out of control. Kiril's death was imminent and there was nothing they could do about it.

There were a few creaks on the floor boards, and everyone turned to look at Anna who was pale faced and exhausted. Kai turned back to the espresso machine to make her a cup, and silence fell over the room. Adeline started to pull out a chair for her and the younger woman thanked her slightly and sat down beside her son who was smiling brightly towards her.

"Kiril's asleep, he passed out a little while ago. He'll probably wake up soon, but for now he's a bit out of it." She explained as she accepted the cup that Kai was passing to her.

Mikhail sighed heavily and glanced towards where Adrien's room was. They'd only left for a few minutes, but he sincerely hoped that things would be looking up when they went back. He didn't know if he could handle it if Adrien died too. This whole thing was becoming a mess.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Spencer asked softly. "We don't know where Luka is, Adrien's unconscious, is there anything else we can do to keep Kiril alive until Tala comes back?" No one said anything.

Dmitri seemed to figure his place was elsewhere, and so he slipped from his chair and started to walk out the door. He moved down the hallways and through the home until he made it to Kiril's room. He peered inside, but didn't find anything interesting, and so he continued on to the room where Adrien was sleeping in.

Nothing much was interesting in this room either, but he hadn't been in it yet so he tiptoed inside and towards the bed where the brunette was laying peacefully. He crawled up on it and started to push the teen's shoulder to wake him up. He wanted to talk to someone, and he _knew _this boy spoke a _proper _language.

Still, the brunette was quite unaware of his presence, and slept onwards. Dmitri growled in annoyance. No one ever wanted to do anything with him anymore. It wasn't fair. He wanted someone to play with! Everyone was ignoring him and they weren't being very nice. At least back home someone was always paying attention to him. Even if he didn't like it, they still did!

That's when he caught sight of the glittering chain that was around Adrien's neck. Licking his lips for a moment he leaned over to inspect the chain. It was pretty, and there was a charm connected to it as well. Reaching out, he slowly managed to slide the chain over his cousin's neck, and held it in front of his face. It was pretty, and the charm was brightly colored.

He reached out to touch the pendent, when a hand snapped out and caught his in a vice grip. He yelped and dropped the necklace onto the bed, his eyes staring straight into the green orbs of his older cousin who had woken up the moment the charm left his skin.

"Don't touch that." Adrien's voice cracked slightly, Italian grating on his vocal chords and tongue. Dmitri nodded frantically- still slightly afraid of the brunette.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean too-" His words came out in flustered, and Adrien forced a smile.

"It's fine kid...you helped me out." Blue eyes glistened happily.

"I did?!" He was so excited that he could be of service.

"She wouldn't let me wake up..." Adrien groaned slightly and pushed himself up. "Hey...do you know where your brother is?" Red locks went flying in all directions as the child threw himself off the bed and towards the door.

"I'll show you! I'll show you!" He was thrilled; finally he was being of use to someone. Even if that someone was an evil person who called him by his most hated name.

"Thanks Dmitri..." Only it seemed he learned his lesson, so he could forgive him for now.

Adrien teetered slightly, but managed to keep himself upright long enough to take a few steps towards the door and start to follow his cousin out it. They walked only a few feet until they got to Kiril's room, and then they pushed inside. No one was there, but Kiril was gasping quietly on the bed, his eyes squeezed shut in pain.

The brunette rushed forwards, his hands clutching his friend's tightly as he closed his eyes and started to try to detect how much longer it would be before the end was coming. It didn't take too long. He looked towards Dmitri who was staring at him in confusion. There was only four more hours before Kiril was going to die, and then he would have to work his own magic to see if he could keep the teen alive long enough until Tala came back.

He bit his lip. That didn't give them much time at all. The little redhead moved closer, his hands touching Adrien's arm in concern. He wanted to know what was happening too, but Adrien wasn't quite sure he knew what to tell him. Dmitri just got introduced into this life, he wouldn't understand, but maybe it was time someone at least tried to explain it.

"What's wrong with my brother?" The redhead asked softly while Adrien tried to figure out how to word the situation. The brunette cracked the biggest grin he could. It wasn't much.

"Kiril's not doing to well." The grin faded distinctly. "There's a good chance that he's going to die." Blue eyes didn't comprehend. "There's a good chance that he'd not going to be able to wake up...that he's going to never come back again."

"He's right there." The boy pointed to the teenager on the bed, and Adrien sighed. Explaining death was hard.

"Yes, but there's a good chance he won't be for long. His body may be here, but his spirit will be gone forever."

"How long is forever?" The boy asked slowly, still not comprehending what was happening. It wasn't Adrien who answered. It was a weak and straining voice from the bed.

"You'll never talk to me again..." Adrien was at his side in an instant.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He whispered softly as he looked at his friend's hazy brown eyes.

"Like I'm dying." The older teen muttered. He looked up at his friend. "What...what happened earlier...?" He asked softly, eyes going to the intricate bruising around Adrien's throat and the burst blood vessels in the boy's eyes. He'd been strangled pretty roughly and it was more then a little obvious.

"Not much...I got rid of Mr. Hyde for you." Kiril blinked.

"How?"

"I don't know...Vita said she could do it, and then there was all this light and I blacked out. I couldn't wake up for the longest time though. Not until Dmitri took her off my neck. I don't know what happened really..."

The door was pushed open behind them and the three boys looked back to see Anna and Mikhail standing there. Both looked more then a little relieved. Adrien blushed slightly when he realized that they were looking a bit harried and their worry seemed to be directed at him as well.

"We couldn't find either you or Dmitri, we were worried. We should have checked here first." Mikhail said simply as he sighed and shook his head. He moved forwards to get a better look at Kiril. "How are you feeling buddy?" He asked softly. The bronze haired boy grimaced slightly as another stab of pain shot through him.

"Like shit." He repeated before looking up at the others. The unspoken question was obvious in his eyes, and they awkwardly looked away.

"He's not back yet." Kiril just nodded. He didn't really expect Tala to be back. Somehow he understood he wouldn't see his father figure again. Mikhail sighed slightly before passing Vita's necklace to Adrien. "You left this in your room-"

"I don't want it." The boy hissed as he refused to touch the chain. Mikhail frowned. Anna moved to dab Kiril's head with a cool cloth to try to bring down his still high fever. The boy was slowly starting to drift back into unconscious again, his world spinning around him. His shallow breathing was making it too difficult to stay focused on any set thing.

"Excuse me?" He asked in shock.

"She's knocking me out...she keeps making me sleep. If I touch it again, she'll keep me from being able to help Kiril. I don't want it." Mikhail nodded slowly. Placing the bitchip on the bedside table for another day, he turned his attention back to Kiril who was whimpering softly. He was shaking again, another seizure on its way.

They were quickly starting to run out of time, and Tala was still not coming back. As the hours slipped passed, the seizures became more violent and more bloody then before. Kai held the leather strap in his nephew's mouth as he convulsed with greater intensity.

His blood pressure was off the charts. His breathing was erratic. He was fast starting to give his body an excuse to shut down via exhaustion. His tortured heart and lungs couldn't keep up this harried pace, and his brain wasn't able to handle the stress. If it kept up, he was going to throw a clot or do something and he was going to have a stroke. No one knew what would come first though, the stroke – or the heart giving out.

With only a half hour until go time, Adrien gave in and gripped his friend's hand for dear life. He closed his eyes and forced all his power and energy into the boy. The teenager before them lay completely still as Adrien focused hard on his friend. He didn't know how long he'd be able to hold on for, but he wouldn't give up until Tala came back. He'd made a promise. A promise!

_"What are you doing all the way over there?" Brown eyes focused on the world around him. It was shimmering brightly and he could barely see straight with all the lights flickering in his face._

_"What? Where are you?" He asked, surprised at how even his voice was._

_"I'm over here!" He turned and tried to locate the source of the voice, but it was echoing everywhere._

_"Over where?" He was starting to get frustrated. He didn't understand what was going on, and he didn't know where he was. "Who are you?"_

_"Silly boy, don't you remember?" He shook his head, rubbing at his eyes as he tried to get passed the burning sensation. It felt like he was looking into the sun. Then all of a sudden, warm arms wrapped around his body. He blinked and the light faded just enough for him to see the outline of a beautiful red-haired woman. She was standing before him with such grace and poise and her arms were encircling his body._

_"Mama?" He whispered in stunned shock._

_"You're good for nothing brother didn't do as I asked did he?" Kiril flinched at the words even though they were said in such a sing song fashion. She sounded like she was singing. He tried to pull away, but she held firm._

_"What are you talking about?" He asked as he tried to get away. She wouldn't let him. Panic was rising in his chest._

_"I told him to take care of you. I told him to not let anything happen to you!" Her nails started to dig into his skin, and he finally managed to wrench free from her grasp. "What are you doing here! You're not supposed to die! You're supposed to live, so go back there and start living!" His head was spinning. First she was kind and gentle then she was rough and menacing and now what? Now she was simply threatening. What the hell was going on?!_

_"Not hell." He whipped around and stared at his biological father. The man looked far different now then he had before. He certainly didn't appear to be as threatening either. "More like a waiting place. You're here because you haven't yet decided. To live or to die."_

_"And why are you here?" Boris just laughed, shaking his head at his youngest son's inquiry._

_"We're not really here. We're figments of your imagination come to..._haunt_...you until you make your choice. For instance, you can imagine your brother to be here and here he'd be." Almost as soon as that thought crossed his mind Tala was standing next to his father._

_Only it wasn't the Tala of today, it was the Tala of almost eleven years ago. Sixteen years old and standing tall and proud right there in front of him. Kiril blinked. He could hardly believe it. His brother's hair and clothes were the exact same way they had been during that fated World Championships._

_"Luka?" He asked softly, and the teen before him nodded. "What...what on Earth is going on?"_

_"Just like Boris said. You're imagining this, hallucinating would probably be a better word for it though." The teenager stepped forwards. "You thought of Heaven and Hell and well...this place...as being just what it is before you. You can tell us anything you want, and you can will us away anytime you want. We're technically nothing."_

_Kiril looked at his biological father. There were so many things he wanted to say to the man. So many apologies. It wasn't Boris that was the monster. It was his mother. He bit his lip and he reached out to touch his father for the first time, but the man shook his head._

_"I know, son." He pointed to his head. "You've already told me." A sad smile crossed the man's face. "And I was a monster. No one forced me to do anything. I did all of the things that made you scared of me in the first place. I beat your brother and your uncles until they were half dead. I wanted to make you Prince of the World...but I do thank you for your forgiveness, regardless of how I don't deserve it." Kiril nodded slowly._

_"I...I'm sorry I didn't go to your last meal."_

_"It's alright. I wouldn't have been able to talk to your brother the way I had if it wasn't for your absence. So I forgive you too." Kiril nodded, and then, just like that Boris and Marina were gone._

_"What...I-"_

_"Your business with them is done. You didn't need them with you." Tala sighed and sat down on the white floor beneath them, and Kiril sat down in front of him. For the first time he was really able to focus on his brother's shape and size. He could hardly believe what he was seeing. His brother as a teenager again was kind of creepy. Everything was kind of creepy about this situation._

_"Am I going to die?" Kiril asked softly. Tala shrugged._

_"I don't know. Can't you here that?" Kiril frowned and looked around them. There were voices, faintly circulating everywhere. He could almost feel someone touching his hand and whispering softly to him. The white faded and he hissed in shock as he stared at the scene of his body laying out on the bed and Adrien clutching his hand for dear life._

_The brunette's face was drenched with sweat, and the other adults in the room were in their own various states of prayer. Anna looked like she'd been crying, but Kiril could easily see his chest rising and falling on cue. He was still alive. Somehow._

_"That boy's keeping you alive." Tala suggested, and he glanced at the teenage form of his brother. "He's the only thing that's keeping you on this plane. If he stopped, you would fade into non-existence, and that would be that."_

_"Why even bother?" Kiril whispered softly._

_"Because we love you, you jerk!" He whipped around to stare at Anna. She, like Tala was a kid again and she was looking at him with such annoyance. She was wearing the ISA jacket he'd first seen her in, and her hair was pulled back into a pony tail. He blinked and stared as Tala met her side and kissed her cheek dotingly; just like it should have been._

_"Don't you get it yet?" He turned and there was Kai, he too was a teenager. It was as if he was only imagining them to be the same age as they were when they first met. He was awestruck by their appearances. "All this time we've only done things for you because we love you. It's not because we had to do so or anything, it's because we care about you."_

_"And don't you forget it." Bryan was there now, in his Demolition Boys' uniform. He looked so different! "We're your family and no matter how much you push us away, we're always going to be here for each other. That's just how life is."_

_"But what about Ian? He left. He left and that's not what family's supposed to do." Kiril argued as he glowered at the newest member of this party. The small boy had just appeared and he was sighing sheepishly as he shifted back and forth in front of them._

_"I didn't mean to leave...I just...after I left for so long to start with I didn't know how to come back. I didn't know how to apologize. You all seemed to be doing fine without me so I just figured..."_

_"You figured it'd be okay to leave us forever? You're family Ian!" Kai snapped as he crossed his arms over his chest. "We always forgive each other."_

_"Which is why it's insane to think that you didn't know that Tala and Anna loved you so much that they made the choices they made." Spencer added as he appeared before them all. They'd vanished from Kiril's bedside and were back in the white room._

_"I...I knew that they loved me..." Kiril tried weakly, but he was talking to himself – and who knew him better then the figments of his imagination?_

_"No you didn't." Tala sighed. He crossed his arms over his chest. "You didn't know. You didn't know at all. You thought that I was ignoring you and that I hated you and that I didn't want to spend time with you." He pointed accusingly at him. "I tried to call you Chiro once and you yelled at me!"_

_"I'm sorry..." Kiril felt tears forming in his eyes._

_"Oh it's all well and good; we know why you did it. You thought that if you acted up and you caused a ruckus we'd have to come back from wherever we'd been to punish you. I got that. I understand that. Still though...come on...cut us a little slack buddy, we'd have been there for you if you'd let us." Tala sighed and moved forwards, his arms wrapping around Kiril's shoulders. "You're my kid."_

_Everything else vanished. It was just the two of them. Kiril's head pressed against the very grown up and present day chest of his brother. Tears were falling down the teenager's cheeks as he held onto his brother turned father's body._

_"You're my kid...and I'm always going to be there for you. No matter what..."_

_"What about now? You left." Kiril looked up to see bright blue eyes staring down at him with that shit eating grin that Tala had adopted after a while._

_"But don't you remember Chiro?" The teenager frowned. "I always come back."_

Adrien was gasping for breath as he tried to concentrate. He was running out of steam and he didn't know how much longer he could prolong the inevitable. He didn't know how much time he had left. He was struggling so hard just to keep focused. Mikhail was rubbing his back and trying to get him to feel at least somewhat better, but he couldn't indulge right now. He was struggling to maintain the very last bit of his ability to help his friend.

Kai's head snapped up from where he'd been praying in the corner. The rosary beads that he'd been holding slipped from his fingers as he shot to his feet and flew towards the window. A few people looked up at him in confusion, not understanding what was going on, but he didn't care. He turned around and he ran down the hall as fast as he could and rushed to the front door.

He barely managed to make it in time, but he threw open portal and in flew a fiery redhead with his face set in grim determination. Without even needing to be told, Kai was leading the way back to where Kiril was. He didn't take note or seem to care about the fact that Tala's clothes were slightly burnt and there were even some parts that were still on fire. Right now, that didn't matter.

They threw open the door and everyone whipped around to stare in shock at the man who'd just made it on time. He didn't spare any of them a glance or give anyone the slightest bit of attention – even when someone shouted in shock that his sleeve was on fire. He placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder and whispered something in his ear.

"It's okay, you can let go...I'm back. Thank you for waiting." Almost instantly the teenager fell to the side in a dead faint, but Tala was on the bed and taking Kiril's hand in his. He closed his eyes and whispered a few more words, this time for only Kiril to hear, and then just like that – the world exploded in light.


	34. Fallout

**Windstar: **This is a rather short chapter in comparison, but there will be an update very shortly. Talk about a whirlwind ride, almost done and just in time too. Summer vacation is coming up! Roughly three to four chapters at the most in conclusion! Enjoy!

**Dislcaimer: **Same.

**Chapter Thirty-Three: **

The wheezing and hacking cough that filtered through the silence of Kiril's mind was the first noise that he heard upon coming back into consciousness. He felt his face contort into a grimace and then he felt his eyes struggle to open. After that he could only wince at the brightness of the ceiling that seemed oh-so-familiar to him. He groaned and blinked a few times, fingers twitching under the blanket that had been thrown over him.

He turned his head and he stared at the extremely odd sight that met him. Tala Ivanov, or at least a very good imposter, was completely passed out and unaware of the world around him. His left arm was on the edge of the bed and his head was buried in the crook of his elbow. His shaggy red hair was falling into his face and was hiding his features. His right arm was clutching a down blanket around his body, and that's where things just got even more strange.

He was dressed in heavy sweat shirts (yes there were two of them) and sweat pants with big heavy wool socks that were just visible under his boots. His hands were snuggled up in his clothes and it looked like he'd bundled up for a snow storm.

In all his life, Kiril had never seen his Bropa dressed like that. Hell, in the dead of winter he'd still only seen a light sheet on his bed. That he was all bundled up made him frown and stare in utter confusion. Then there was that cough.

Every so often a throaty cough would echo through the room and the man would mumble something in his sleep that sounded like some profanity of some sort. It was on one of these moments that Kiril couldn't help but stare at the five o'clock shadow on his face. Never mind that, a full on raggedy goatee had actually made an appearance and it seemed that Tala hadn't had half the mind to take care of himself lately.

He glanced around. No one else was there, but he could hear voices from down the stairs. He was certain that Kai's was among them. It took him a little bit, but eventually he managed to force himself to sit up. He reached his hand out, trying his voice for the first time.

"T-Tala." It was rough and scratchy and it made him wince. Still, it was a start. It didn't take long for blue eyes to blink open rapidly and the man looked up at him. Kiril blinked. His brother's face was covered in a dark flush and it looked like he was actually suffering from a fever.

"You're awake." If it were possible his voice was even worse then Kiril's. The man sniffed loudly and the teenager couldn't help but stare at him in stunned silence. Tala frowned. He reached out to touch the boys face but stopped when he suddenly fell over in a coughing fit.

"You're sick." Kiril returned in stunned fascination. He couldn't remember the last time his brother was sick. In fact, he could count every time his brother was sick on one finger – and that was a high estimation. It could very well have been never.

"Umm...yes." Tala tried to crack a grin, but his nasally voice gave him away and Kiril was more then a little capable of telling that Tala was _more then a little_ miserable with this while situation.

"How?" He asked, his voice starting to sound a bit stronger though. Tala was not as lucky.

"Well...umm...I caught a cold it seems." He blushed slightly. Kiril could only stare at him in shock. The door pushed open and he looked up to see Anna standing there with a bowl of soup and some bread on a platter. She caught his gaze and smiled brightly.

"You're awake. I'm glad." She practically shoved the plate into Tala's arms and he grimaced slightly as he fumbled with it. She kissed Kiril's forehead and he forced a smile.

"Yeah...but...how?" Anna looked towards Tala who ran a hand through his ragged red hair.

"I'll go get you a bowl too, Addy made it." Neither of them missed the way she used Adeline's nickname. She was starting to get a bit more comfortable around them it seemed.

"Thanks." Kiril muttered as she turned and left the room leaving Tala and him alone. Brown eyes met blue, and Tala couldn't help but smile slightly. He pushed himself up and reached for the teen's hand. Kiril followed his gaze and he looked at his palm as well. He hadn't even realized something was in his fingers. As he looked though, he couldn't help but stare.

Wolborg.

He couldn't move. For a long while he just stared at the bitbeast. Then he glanced towards his brother's hand that was wrapped around his open one. It was freezing cold, and yet Kiril didn't seem to register the chill. It was almost as though he was aware of the cold but he wasn't fully feeling it. He met his brother's gaze slowly.

"God...no..." He felt his heart hammer loudly in his chest. He shook his head, but Tala's hand snapped up to catch his face in his palm.

"Liten to me." His nasel voice was sniveling through his words and the 's' sound didn't quite make it out. Still, Kiril's terrified gaze met his Bropa's and Tala wasn't letting him look anywhere else. "Is okay." He added a sniffle at the end to make Kiril feel even worse.

"It's okay!? It's okay!? You're sick! You've got a cold! You're freezing, and I've got your bitbeast!" Kiril tried to shove the bitchip towards Tala's hand, but the redhead wouldn't take it. He didn't even look down. "I read your journal!"

"Addy gave bat to ya huh?" Tala tilted his head slightly, and Kiril rolled his eyes.

"I know what Wolborg means to you! I know what she means! She saved your life, she was your friend, she took care of you throughout the years!"

"I know bat." Tala said simply, looking at his brother as though he were missing something important. "And?" He pressed on.

"She's your friend, she's your ally, she loves you! She...she..."

"Wouldn't've picked ya if ya weren' importan' to her too." Tala said softly. "When we knew dat da bitbeasts could-" He coughed off to the right and then sniffed loudly. Shaking his head he coughed once more, a great hooping cough. One of his hands raised to his mouth and he gasped as he tried to breathe. The food on his lap shook precariously. Kiril grabbed it off of him and moved it to the table beside them before rubbing his brother's back worriedly. When he was finished he sighed and moved on. "Tanks..." Looking back up at his Chiro he continued. "She offered. She said she wanted to. I went to Russia to get her."

"That's where you went?!" Kiril blinked rapidly, trying to figure out how his brother flew there and back so quickly. He didn't think the math added up just right.

"I took Bla-Dranzer and she helped dig Wolbor-g ou." He sneezed loudly. "Den we flew back on da bla-bird espress."

"You took a plane to Russia?" Kiril couldn't help but think about how freaked out Tala was on airplanes. "By yourself?!" A weak smile was all he was met.

"I needed to...it was the fastest way to get there."

"You used Black Dranzer?!" He winced, his hands ghosting over his arms and Kiril couldn't help but wonder if there were burns hidden under those long sleeves. "What were you thinking! You're pyro-phobic, and you're...you're aero-phobic!"

"I'm aware, but I wanted you ta be safe." The brutal honesty in those blue eyes shook Kiril to the core. His mind was reeling.

"You won't be able to blade with her again-"

"I don' blade much anymore." Tala admitted weakly.

"You're going to feel cold!" Tala laughed and looked down at himself.

"I don' like the col, ta be sure." Apparently when Wolborg left she took all of Tala's ability to handle the cold whether. The man was freezing and it was only sixty-five.

"You...you'll get used to it I think." Kiril really had no idea. "But now that I'm alive and well, you can have her back no?" Tala shook his head.

"I wan' you ta have her. She'll be there for you an' take care of you for me when you're off ignoring my orders." Tala cracked a grin, and Kiril smiled slightly.

"I don't think I'll be ignoring your orders anytime soon Bropa." Maybe it was the fever, but Kiril could have sworn that he saw the man's eyes fill with tears. He looked away for a moment to collect himself, but Kiril couldn't help it. He wanted to see that look on this man's face. "I love you." He said softly with all the blunt honesty that he possessed.

"I know kid." Tala said softly.

"No." Kiril frowned and he looked at the man he believed to be his father. He'd finally made his peace with his real father, and now all he had left was Tala. He was more then willing to accept that, he just needed his brother to understand. "You're my dad." Tala met his eyes and those tears were starting to slip out of his eyes. "I want you to be my dad...and I'm a complete ass-hole for not telling you that years ago. You're not just my brother, you're my dad, and I love you."

A few drops started to fall out of his eyes. He coughed slightly, making the tears fall ever harder, but Kiril didn't care about his brother – no, his father's – cold. He didn't care if he was going to get pneumonia for the rest of his life. He just wanted this. He pressed his head to his father's chest and he held him close.

Even though he could hear the man cough and gasp for air, he didn't care. He just wanted to spend this moment with his father and stay that way with him. The warmth in his father's body was so comforting to him. He couldn't imagine wanting to be anywhere else. He could hardly believe that he had ignored this for so long.

Tala's presence in his life had always been complicated, but now that he sat there (alive and well) he felt sure of this. He knew this was right. He knew that this moment, this relation to _this _man, was right. Tala was his father, and while he knew that that wasn't biologically so - it was the truth that he'd been hiding from himself. It was the truth that he'd been searching for through all of those years.

There was a soft noise off to the side, and he he looked up and saw the small face of his nephew-brother. Dmitri was looking at him hopefully and he motioned towards him. Right now Dmitri was more then welcome to be near him. He wanted his family with him, and he wanted to get to know his little brother.

Dmitri ran up and plowed into the hug. Tala moved his arm to hug the child. Kiril couldn't help it, he started to tear up a little too. He gripped his little brother close and the boy wrapped his small arms around him the best he could.

The only thing that could make this picture better was if Anna was there too. He couldn't believe he was saying this, but he really wanted her to be apart of this moment. He missed her and now he just wanted her to be with him as a part of this.

"Where's Anna?" He whispered softly, and as soon as he said those words he could feel his brother stiffen painfully. He looked at the sickly man and frowned. "Dad?" He asked worriedly.

"Said she was gonna get ya some soup." He mumbled, pulling away from the hug. He rustled his son's hair for a moment before looking at Kiril. "Wanna go down? Everyone's been worried." Kiril nodded slowly.

"Where's Adrien, I would have thought he'd been here." Tala bit his lip.

"He was for a while. We bla-mailed him ta go out for a breather wit Mick-ail."

"Alright." It seemed like whatever breath Tala had been holding was released. Kiril wasn't obscenely agitated; in fact he seemed perfectly at ease. "He's alright though, right?" Tala nodded.

"Yeah, he's doin' good. He was keeping you alive for a while; I made it jus in time to pass Wolborg to ya. He passed out not too long after that, but he's been awake for most of your time out." Kiril frowned.

"Most of my time...how long was I sleeping?"

"A-mo two weeks."

"Two weeks!" He could hardly believe what he had heard. That long? It had been that long?! What the hell!

"Your body's been tru hell kiddo, what' you expec?" Kiril shrugged.

"I don't know...not two weeks." That was the understatement of the century. He expected a lot less then that. "No wonder Dri's been out and about. When'd he wake up?" Dmitri clambered up on the bed, and Kiril pulled him into his lap while Tala picked at the food Anna brought up. He looked less then thrilled with the idea of eating, and more then happy to shove it aside and ignore it altogether.

"He woke up about a week and a half ago, he was butched." Kiril whipped about to see Kai off to the left. "Hey kid, you better have been dreaming some sweet dreams with your sleeping beauty act. Huh?"

"Don't remember really." Kiril admitted lightly. His uncle moved forwards and gave him a hug on the shoulders. Kiril glanced down towards where Wolborg was still in his palm. He half wondered if Kai resented him for it. From the look of things, he didn't. The man pulled up a seat next to them, and when he saw that Tala hadn't really been ingesting the food he'd been given he swatted his brother lightly on the back of the head. "Eat it, the cold medicine'll make you vomit if you don't." That didn't sound appealing apparently because he did start to eat, albeit grudgingly.

"I'm sorry..." Kiril whispered. Tala glanced up.

"No need to be."

A few minutes later, Kiril was walking unsteadily down the stairs. He was having a bit of balance issues, but other then that he was fine. Tala was sniveling and coughing behind him, and Dmitri and Kai were taking the back. There were voices in the kitchen, and Kiril followed them instinctively.

Everyone was there, and more too. A slew of F-Fives were crammed into the little room, all of them fighting over food and trying to find a seat. The babies were giggling in their mother's arms, and Anna was struggling to get a bowl from the cupboard to pour a cup of soup into. Still, the moment he stood in the doorway, everyone fell silent.

He bit his lip. He hadn't meant to make people worry, or at least make them think he was even more of a freak. He looked down, uncertain of what he was supposed to say. Still, he didn't have to say anything. One of the F-Fives stood up and motioned for him to sit down.

"Welcome back little brother." He said meaningfully, and for the first time in a long while- Kiril felt truly loved by everyone around him. He didn't feel like he was an exile from the rest of the F-Fives. He didn't feel like he had royally screwed up. The only thing that he felt was that everyone around him honestly and truly cared for him.

It was a miraculous feeling. He smiled, and nodded. Moving forwards and sitting down he couldn't help but grin up at his father who slumped wearily onto a bar stool not too far away. He looked pathetic, but at least they were all together. At least they were a family once again.

* * *

There were a lot of things that happened after that. First and foremost. Everyone wanted to fucking go home. Tala and Kai were on the phone with Voltaire almost constantly, trying to get the situation under control and trying to put things together as fast as they could.

While Kiril had been unconscious, the elderly man had arrived and been staying with Tyson. It was awkward for the former Blade-Breakers though, and who could blame them? They had never spent much time with the billionaire, and they didn't really want to get too involved with it either. He'd gone back home to deal with more practical issues, and everyone had promised him that he would be kept up to date on the progress with Kiril.

Apparently the old man had been completely enamored with the tiny redhead that would be his youngest heir. He'd been caught slipping obscene amounts of money into the boy's pockets and the child seemed appropriately mystified by him. Voltaire had heard about the poor excuse for raising the six year old had been accustomed to, and he'd made it his business to treat the boy better then anyone else.

Already the spoiled side of Tala's young mirror image was starting to shine through. He knew full well where he could get votes in his corner, and it was more then enough to make everyone try to get their rich family member to try to tone it down enough. In the five days that Voltaire spent with them, he'd given Dmitri over three thousand dollars worth of clothes, toys, books, and various other paraphernalia that a six year old had no business owning.

_"Thanks, _very, _much, Gramps, but can you please tone it down before he decides that he doesn't have to listen to any of us?" _Tala had pleaded as he snatched a hundred-dollar-glass Goofy figurine from his son's fingers and exchanged it with a stuffed Daffy Duck Doll.

_"I will do no such thing, the boy deserves to have some fun now and a then!" _The man had argued. _"Come now TJ, would you like to accompany me to the music store. I have determined these heathens cannot teach you of the finer things in life!" _The little red-head just smiled happily and followed his great-grandfather wherever he wanted him to go, and no one was going to be capable of distracting him from it. The man bought the child a grand piano and a size appropriate cello that were being delivered to the mansion in Russia. Clearly he had no concept of what it meant to over spoil a child.

It was good for other things though. For some reason Dmitri had little problem talking to the old man and spending time with him. It got him out of the house and away from the chaos that had surrounded the Granger residence after Kiril's collapse. The boy needed to be occupied and oddly enough, Voltaire was the perfect man for the job. He highly encouraged the child to do whatever it was that he wanted to do, and merely acted as a willing chaperon through it all.

So while some thought it was a bit odd to see the billionaire-cut-throat sitting on the floor coloring with the Italian/Arabic raised child, it was heartening to know there was someone that the boy was comfortable with. It certainly helped that Voltaire could speak both of the boy's languages. Dmitri was having more then a little trouble talking with _anyone _especially since most people couldn't understand what he was saying. Anna for some reason or other spent surprisingly little time with her son, and it was almost as if he was always getting in the way or interrupting her.

When Dmitri wasn't with Voltaire he was at a loss. The F-Fives loved him because of his parentage, and they all tried to play with him as they did with the twins. They could speak a broken form of his tongue and they acted as somewhat suitable translators but he got frustrated very easily with them, and most of the time he could be found sitting in the babies' nursery by himself.

Tala would find him there most times and drag him out to be with him. It seemed that the only other people that the child was starting to form any true attachments to were the Officers, Adrien, and surprisingly Kiril. The six year old spent quite a bit of time in his brother's bedroom while the boy had slept. He was worried even if he couldn't vocalize it properly, and he was still understandably confused.

Too much was changing far too quickly for the boy. He was scared, and he didn't know what to do. He wasn't certain about all the changes that were occurring. He just wanted things to stay stagnant for a while so he could catch up and understand what it was that he was supposed to be doing.

After Kiril awoke things could finally start getting underway so that happened. Tala explained the situation to everyone of importance so that they all could get the information that they needed to know out in the open. Dmitri was settled on the man's hip, his arms wrapped around his father's throat and his head nestled into his shoulder. The child was searching for a much needed comfort that his mother for some reason or other hadn't been giving him. (Strike two on things that had truly pissed Tala off about the woman recently, but that was to be discussed later.)

According to Tala, the school had been under construction when he'd gotten there, it was pure luck that he managed to find his bitchip before it was lost forever. Still, nothing would be complete for quite some time, and quite frankly they didn't want to wait for quite some time to be finished. So they posed the question for the class, calling everyone together they asked them about a rather risky plan that probably wouldn't work. Of course, everyone agreed to it.

"If we do the construction ourselves with our bitbeasts we should be able to make things speed up a little. Now, we'd probably be in tents and it's going to be extremely cold, but we could make months turn into weeks if we really applied ourselves." Everyone said yes, as much as they appreciated Tyson's hospitality, they wanted to go home. They were sick of being away from it.

Still, there was one thing that needed to be done before everyone departed, and with Adeline and the other Officers' words that everything would be alright, some people began to fulfill the closure they'd long since needed.

* * *

With lights flashing in all directions and women running here and there; Kai, Rei, Max, and Tyson sat down at a rather conspicuous bar to have a drink. They sat down in a booth in the back corner and ordered round after round. They needed to talk. It had been far too long.

"So...how was Mecca?" Tyson asked pointedly, and Kai sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Intense. Dying's not fun." He took a sip of his drink and closed his eyes for a minute. "Thanks for watching out for Adeline and the kids Tyson. I owe you one."

"Yes, you do." The Japanese Director admitted easily. "Still, considering how everything's looking up and dandy again, we can consider it paid in full for now. Though I have had my eye on this nice Mazda-" Rei knocked the man's shoulder jokingly.

"I see; you're only in it for the money huh?" The man laughed as he rolled his eyes.

"I'm glad that BD was so amiable to helping with Jeanie's hand." Max redirected, and they all nodded quietly. That was certainly another plus side to Tala's reappearance.

Kiril had been the first major achievement. After Luka had blown into the room and said his few words to the teenager all hell had broken loose.

_Adrien slumped towards the floor, and Mikhail caught him, holding the boy to his chest as he stared at the bright lights that had filled the room. A chilling wind filled the small bedroom, and by the time everything was over – Kiril was breathing normally and some color had returned to his deathly pale cheeks. _

_The redhead crashed to his knees, completely spent. Adeline hurried to his side and pressed her hand to his forehead. She drew it back in awe though. Her worried blue eyes meeting his._

_"You're burning up." She told him in shock. He nodded vaguely._

_"Yeah...transcontinental flying on a firebird will do that to you." He groused. His hand slipped towards his throat where Black Dranzer was displayed brightly. Snapping the chain he passed it to Kai who was moving towards him. Adrien was well taken care of, and now that Kiril was stable everyone had questions._

_"You know, we've been looking for that." He mentioned faintly as weary blue eyes glanced up at him._

_"Have you now?"_

_"Dmitri stomped on Jeannine's hand. We were hoping for a bit of a miracle cure." A red eyebrow raised and he shrugged._

_"You're going to have to fill me in later...I think I'm going to pass out."_

_"Well can you at least move to another room before you do so?" Bryan asked as he looked down at him. "You're ass is fucking heavy-"_

_"Watch your mouth Kutznetsov." Kai hissed and the older man rolled his eyes. By the time that they looked back at Tala, he was already unconscious and sleeping off the exhaustion that had pent up over the past three days._

Black Dranzer healed Jeanie's hand easily enough though, and the bird was placed back on Nikoli's neck. After everything that had happened, it finally looked like things were going to settle down and become normal again.

"I say we give a toast." Rei announced suddenly, and the three other friends frowned slightly as they glanced at him. "To Kai, and everyone's safe return." He raised his glass high, and the others did too.

"I'll toast to that." The heir said simply as he clinked his glass into the others.

* * *

Far away from there, and sitting at a table in Tyson's kitchen, Anna and Tala stared at each other in blank silence. It would be the first time that they had a chance to sit down and actually talk to each other since everything went down the way it had. The others were giving them space, and Kiril took Dmitri to his room to play so that he wasn't in the way.

Adeline was with the twins, and all the other kids were sleeping. This was specifically a time for these two people. They needed this chat. It had been a long time coming. Neither knew exactly what to say at first. In the past, they talked so easily to each other. Now though – now everything was different. Everything had changed. Tala was even half certain that he didn't care what became of the woman from here on out. He just wanted to see his son and be apart of the terribly confused child's life.

"So...What happens now?" Anna whispered in the dark. Luka thumbed the side of the cup in his hand. The tea that he was sorely depending on for his throat was much needed. He breathed in the rich sugary scent of honey and tried to work out the words in his head.

"I want at least partial custody of Dmitri." He answered back. His sinuses were a bit more under control now, and he wasn't as mucus sounding as he had been earlier. Now if he could just get the cough under control this cold could be beaten!

"At least?" She asked him incredulously. "As opposed to what? Full custody? You think I'm going to give you full custody of my son and wave goodbye as you take him off somewhere?" She asked him in shock. He scowled at her.

"As opposed to no custody you dimwit. God I thought you were supposed to be a genius." She glared at him. He didn't really care though at the moment. He was hurting, and it was her fault. "And while we're talking about someone taking him off somewhere, let me remind you of the fact that it was you who vanished in the first place. Don't you dare fucking pin that on me."

"I did it to save your life! Yours and Kiril-"

"We didn't ask to be saved!"

"Spencer and Bryan had been hospitalized; Ian's family was in turmoil, what next? Kai being murdered? Kiril being run over by a car? When was it supposed to end?"

"When you fucking told us what the hell was going on so we could stop it! You weren't even thinking. You just ran off and fucked with our lives." She grit her teeth.

"It's better then you being dead!" He slammed his fist on the table, and she jumped back in shock. There was fire in those blue eyes. Sick or not – he was infuriated and he was dangerous when he was mad.

"Why the hell didn't you tell us something was wrong? Why didn't you come to us? We could have fixed it."

"They would have killed you-"

"Anna, we were the fucking ISA. We could have, and did, handle the pathetic Mafiosa of the Ottilia family."

"And look what happened! Kiril and Adrien and all those kids nearly died, you and Xander were tortured-"

"Exactly." Tala coughed bitterly, raising a hand to his mouth. When he was done he looked up at her. "Exactly." She turned away, unable to meet his gaze. "Look what fucking happened."

Silence filled the room. Neither knew what they should say or do. Neither were comfortable with anything. They were simply trapped glaring at the ground and trying to work out just what it was they were hoping to say. Tala stood up and moved to the sink. Placing the cup into it, he ran some water. When he'd finished he turned it off and just leaned against it. He couldn't help but feel more and more irritated with her the more time had passed.

"I want partial custody of Dmitri. I want to know where the fuck you're going to be and when and where you're going anyplace. I want complete access on anything you're doing – work, fun, I don't care what. I want the names of everyone you meet. I want to have a say in Dmitri's future. I want to spend time with him, and I want you to live near the school. I want you to hand over any and all documents you have on the Black Dranzer server, and I want you to report in to me every day with events that have happened. I will know when and where you're going to be from now on, and if you don't report in – I'll lock you in the school." He turned back to meet her scathing glare.

"Yeah? And how does it feel to want." Turning sharply she started to head towards where the boys were occupying themselves. Tala glowered and threw his recently cleaned cup straight at her. It smashed against the wall near her head and she yelped slightly, spinning around to face him.

"Listen to me you little bitch. You fucking ruined my life twice over. You lied to me, you lied to Kiril, and you didn't do shit when we needed you around the most. Don't you fucking ever give me this greater-than-God attitude of yours. You are in no means an angel. I don't particularly care about your feelings or emotions at the moment, I don't really care about making it all better. I don't care about your fucked parenting skills or the fact that you can't seem to figure out how to keep a six year old from getting out of line. I don't fucking care in the slightest. The only things I care about are my family and my kids at the school.

"Luckily, your family burnt my kids' home to the ground. So excuse me if I'm more then a little pissed at you. Dmitri's my son. I have a right to be with him and spend time with him. Right now I think you're a shit parent that doesn't know how to do anything, so excuse me if I place a few rules on the floor."

"Rules?! You're talking about a life with no freedom, constantly under surveillance and completely and totally without free will! I'm no better then a prisoner with those rules."

"Tough luck cupcake. You want to fight this one out? I can promise you I'll win." Her face turned beat red. "You even think about vanishing again, and I'm taking that boy away from you. You can leave all you want – Dmitri stays with me."

"You have no idea how to raise a child-"

"Really!? Because I think I have a better idea then you, seeing as how I've been doing just fine without you!" She recoiled harshly, and he grabbed her arm with a bruising grip.

"Don't you ever preach to me about my parenting skills again you little whore." Letting her go he turned and started to storm up the stairs towards his own room, and Anna was left behind with tears in her eyes as she thought about everything he'd said.

Tala was right. Right now...she was strongly considering vanishing, and she was strongly considering breaking down and crying as well.

Seems like crying won this round.


	35. Make Up Take Two

**Windstar: **So here's another update. School's finally out for summer and now that things have settled down you have a very long chapter here that is the beginning of the very last segment of this story. Only a couple of chapters left, and because of it things are going to be all wrapped up.

OHC is probably not going to be out until way past the end of summer. I'm not completely happy with it, and it's over run by OCs and so I need to organize it and work on it a bit. Hopefully it will be released, but if not, then this is the final segment of this story.

There is a major fight scene in this, so be warned on that front. Also, there's a huge part of this chapter that takes place during my one shot "Operation Desert Storm." If you haven't read it, then that'll be fine, just be aware that the full and complete story is up. I know it's been heavily mentioned and pointed to in the past, but this is the greatest recollection by far.

Enjoy!

Thanks once again to my only reviewer last chapter: FlamingIce94. I appreciate it!

**Chapter Thirty-Four:**

Dmitri Ivanov knew many things about death and the art of dying. For instance. He knew that if you put enough electricity into someone's body they would die in a horrible screaming mess on the floor. He knew that the red stuff that came out of your body when you were cut, was blood; and that if you lost too much of it you would die. He knew that you would die without water if you went without it for three days. He knew that there was no such thing as God because he'd heard so many people screaming for his help whenever they were in the same room with his Uncle and Grandpapa, and no one ever came.

He knew that people tended to scream for the person that they couldn't live without, and he knew that some people desperately hung onto the woman or man that they needed to exist with. He supposed, logically, that his parents were the same way. They both were attracted to each other because they needed each other, but they hated each other and so they tried to keep away.

It never worked.

After spending four terrible months with his parents screaming and yelling at each other every time they got in the same room with one another, Dmitri couldn't help but wonder just why it was they even bothered. At some point – enough was enough. Clearly if you hated the person enough to scream at them, you'd stay away from them. Yet there they were, night after night, day after day – arguing and cursing away like no tomorrow.

He'd asked Kiril about it a few times, but the older boy just sighed and shook his head and told him he couldn't explain it. It was a weird phenomenon with their parents. That didn't stop Kiril from giving him a warm hug every time the two were at it again. It didn't stop Adrien from always opening the door and letting him cry in his arms whenever they were getting too loud.

The only other people that they could compare the situation too, was Ian and Kai; or rather Ivan and Kai. Those two were at each others throats like white on rice. They just couldn't give it a rest. They were loud and annoying and making it only worse whenever the boys tried to escape all the arguing.

Talk about a nightmare.

Dmitri was just about to give up on the whole deal. He even asked Kiril when he was going home a few times. The bronze haired teen could do nothing but stare at him in stunned horror the first time he'd said it. He closed his eyes and pulled him to his chest and told him that he was so very sorry, but he wasn't ever going home.

That wasn't fair, and Dmitri didn't like it! So he barricaded himself inside his new room at the newly reconstructed F-Five Institute. He didn't care if it was childish, but he was hurting and he just wanted to have everything go back to the way that it was supposed to go. Back when he didn't have to hear people yelling all the time.

He just wanted everyone to stop being so loud!

Who knew that someone up there was already planning on answering his wish?

* * *

Tala woke up at a relatively reasonable hour for once, and yawned as he kicked out from under the massive blankets that were on his bed. He tiptoed out the door and down the hall to the dorm's kitchen. Everything had been built to perfection once again, and he was quite content with the state of the new _cucina_. So much so in fact, that he and the others had made it a bit bigger and given more room for people to move around in.

Which was exactly what he was doing now. He moved quite easily and comfortably towards the pre-made coffee pot and he poured himself a cup. Only a few minutes later, he turned back to see Anna entering the room. Scowling he excused himself to the opposite side of the kitchen and started to make some toast while she poured herself a cup of coffee as well.

Glancing back towards Tala she sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She knew that talking this early in the morning would give them both headaches, but she did have some pressing issues concerning Kiril and Adrien taking Dmitri to the park.

"It's my day with Dmitri." She told him stubbornly, and he glowered and glanced back at her.

"Let the boys have some fun. They finally have a day off and they should be allowed to spend time together. Or are you going to keep Tri away from every family he has except for you?" She glared at him.

"I'm not keeping him away from everyone!"

"You certainly seem to find him spending time with anyone except yourself to be repulsing." She grit her teeth, downing the cup she had before stalking towards him.

"I'm taking him with me today. We're going to look for schools-"

"Save me your preaching on how I can't help with schools." Tala snapped back. "Let the boys have a day of fun, you can kidnap my son another day."

"You're being unreasonable!" Anna screamed, kicking him in the shin. He shot his hand out, grabbing her by the front of her shirt and slamming her into the fridge. His blue eyes were blazing hatefully.

"Don't you ever..." Anna frowned slightly, watching as those blue eyes blinked slowly for a second and the redhead shook his head. "Put yer...and..."

"Luka?" Her voice was filled with worry, and he looked up at her suddenly. Pure panic was shimmering in those bright blue eyes, and before the brunette could do anything, he crashed to the floor. One hand slammed to his head while the other wrapped around his chest. He gasped. Anna was right there next to him. "Luka, Luka what-"

Was it just her or was the room spinning? Looking down at Tala she was pretty certain that it wasn't just her though. Reaching out she touched his shoulder and once more those blue eyes met her in terror. It was the last sight either of them would know before they collapsed onto the ground and slipped into unconscious.

* * *

Tala was the one who woke up first. His glazed eyes snapped open and he looked around him in stunned horror. Anna lay beside him, her eyes closed and her hair was a mess. She was still wearing her pajamas. He snapped his hand out quickly to check her pulse, and only relaxed when he felt the steady beat pounding under his fingers.

"Wake up Sleeping Ugly." He muttered as he shook her shoulder. She grimaced, turning her head and staring at him.

"Luka?"

"That's my name." He nodded. Leaving out the fact that it was a name she never called him. Well, except for when he was passing out or dying. But hey, semantics.

"Where are we?" She asked blearily, sitting up and staring at their surroundings. He shrugged.

"A closet." Glaring at him she pushed herself up to her feet and moved towards the door. It was locked, bolted, and basically impossible to get out of. Tala glowered at her attempts. After staring at her for a few minutes, he finally stood up and started to try himself.

"What, can't trust me to be able to open it myself?" He rolled his eyes at her annoying comment. Pressing his hand against it he tried to tell if it was on a data system. Only, the moment he tried activating his LXCom he collapsed to his knees and hissed. One hand shot to his head as the other punched the ground violently.

"Son of a bitch!" Something had just slammed a lock and key hard into his head, and it didn't feel pretty. He couldn't even feel the device working anymore. So much for breaking their way out.

It looked like, for now at least, they were stuck.

* * *

Two doors down, Ivan and Kai were in a similar predicament. The two of them sat glaring at each other as they fought down a battle of wills. Right now they knew that they couldn't escape their current captivity, but the 'why did it have to be him next to me' attitude was infectious and they were stubbornly keeping their eyes averted from each other.

Kai was cursing under his breath, but aside from _that_, their room was dedicated to silence. Ivan tapped his fingers against his leg in annoyance as he tried to work out just how they were going to get out of this. He couldn't think of anything to be honest, especially since he couldn't even figure out where he was at the moment. If he knew that then maybe he'd have a clue...but as of late he knew absolutely nothing.

Every few hours a slot would open at the bottom of the door and food and water would be pushed through. A bucket was there for a toilet, and aside from that they were completely and totally left alone and cut off from the outside world.

"Someone's gotta find us, right?" Ivan asked after what seemed to be days of waiting. "I mean, we were in the school. The security alarm should have gone off..." Kai sighed heavily and shrugged.

"Got someplace to be?" He asked sardonically. He wasn't really in the mood to deal with the man's insecurities. He didn't want to talk to him, let alone get locked in a room with him.

"Yeah actually I do. I told my family I'd be home on the eleventh." They'd vanished on the ninth.

"Oh really? Funny, I didn't get that memo. I guess we don't count as family anymore do we Ian? Only, fair weather friends." The smaller man glowered up at the fire wielder.

"If we were fair weather friends I wouldn't have shown up to help when Tala went missing." Red eyes snapped to glower at Papov.

"If we _weren't_ fair weather friends then you would have known that Tala going missing was actually a mission. You would have known that we knew he was alive the whole time. You would have known that we were actually trying to draw Anna out of hiding. Maybe all of this would have been made clear to you. Just because you decided to grow a backbone and come help out after you hear that someone had died, doesn't mean that you suddenly were our _BFF _again." Did Kai even know how childish that sounded? Probably. He was scowling angrily at the mean in front of him and it didn't look like he'd stop any time soon. Talk about immaturity.

"I came to help out. One of my best friends was dead, and you thought that I wouldn't show?"

"I knew you'd show, didn't figure you had it in you to actually want to help. That was a new one. What, your family get tired of you already?"

Ivan lunged towards the older man, his hands going for the throat. Kai reeled back and blocked the arms – kicking him in the stomach and launching him towards the door. It didn't stop the earth master from catching himself and landing a well placed kick right on Kai's shin.

Hiwatari hissed, his leg collapsing from underneath him. Just as he came down Ivan uppercutted him under the jaw and sent him spiraling into the back wall. Red eyes suddenly became alive with anger and hatred and Kai wouldn't let himself be undone by this toadstool.

Forcing his weight onto his bad leg, he snapped out a kick of his own and Ivan caught it with his ribs. The smaller man wheezed just long enough for Kai to get a hand around his throat and slam him up against a wall. Pushing his former friend up so he was dangling off the choke hold, Kai seethed at him.

Still, he didn't have time to celebrate his victory. Ivan snapped out a punch – ignoring the choke – and caught the other in the throat. Instantly the man dropped, coughing as he tried to focus his mind on breathing. Ivan brought his leg up and kicked Kai straight in the ribs, sending the man onto his back as he tried to breathe.

Papov smirked as he looked down at the Senior Officer. Seems like Hiwatari couldn't win all the time. He leaned over, laughing as he looked at the fallen man. He almost didn't catch the furious glint in those crimson eyes before Kai's hand snapped out and grabbed his own and tugged down – just as his feet tripped Ivan forwards.

Startled, the earth master tried to catch himself, only his arm was being twisted and tugged at the same time. He knew what was going to happen right before the pain hit. Still it wasn't something he'd ever get used too. The bone snapped as he was pulled just a bit to far in the wrong direction. Ian hit the ground and gasped. His broken arm flopped down as Kai grabbed his free arm – sitting squarely on his back and trapping his legs as he pulled the other hand around.

Ivan belatedly realized just how pissed off that throat shot had made his former friend. After all – he was pretty certain that Kai had been going at least somewhat easy on him when the fight had started. He'd made the first lethal shot though, and that had sent the man soaring over the edge without a parachute. Ironically, he couldn't help but think about what might have happened if Kai had been the one to have Boris's experiments on anger and rage instead of Bryan.

He didn't have time to consider it though, because he could feel his fingers getting pulled into a break position, and he really couldn't do much as he lay on his stomach and was completely vulnerable to Kai's attacks. Still, this all started because Kai was being a dick-wad. Now the man was just proving his point.

"Get off me, Hiwatari." He hissed as he fought to keep his fingers free from the man's grasp. He struggled to move, but he was successfully pinned down.

"Fuck you." The voice that met him certainly didn't sound like his friend, and he turned his head just enough to survey the damage to the much larger man's throat. Shit. Kai was bleeding from his mouth and there was massive bruising there. From the sound of the other man's breathing and how his voice had severely mutated into a wheezing buzz – he could only assume he'd been a bit too forceful with that punch. Kai's windpipe and vocal chords were damaged. He could only pray they weren't too badly off.

"Let me up, I gotta look at your throat." He tried, as he attempted to pull free once more. Kai's eyes narrowed and he knelt down on the other man's broken arm just enough for him to let out a loud moan of pain. "God damn _it, _Hiwatari, I get it – you won. Now let me up." More weight just fell on the bone and he clenched his eyes closed for a moment. Flashbacks to the last time he'd severely broken a bone echoed in his mind and he forced himself to keep them in the back of his head where they belonged.

Belatedly though, he thought about Kai's tolerance to pain and his rather poor reaction to it. Except, this wasn't pain. That was a lethal blow that Ivan had landed. He'd not thought about it at the time – he'd only wanted to punish Kai and get revenge on him. Still though, throat shots could very well be deadly if they broke things upon impact. That was when Kai seemed to have lost all sense of what he was doing.

Of all the people that had tried to kill Kai in the past, Ivan couldn't think of any of them that were still breathing today. He squeezed his eyes closed for a minute and tried to think. Whether his former friend was acting on reaction or he was aware of what he was doing seemed to be the most pressing issue, but all he could think about was how bad his arm was hurting.

"Kai." He hissed, trying to get the man's attention. The other wasn't budging. It was almost as if he was frozen in place – applying just enough pressure for it to be unbearably painful. "Sacha!" Red eyes snapped completely open. No longer hazy with revenge and lust for injuring the younger man in front of him, Kai threw himself backwards and off Ivan's body. Looks like Papov found the involuntary 'safe word' whenever Kai flew into his fits.

Seemed like a logical assumption though, didn't Tala use it all the time when he was trying to specifically get Kai's attention? Ivan didn't have time to think about it though. He pushed himself to his knees and turned to look at the other man. One of Kai's hands were gripping his throat, and his eyes were pressed closed. He looked awful.

As much as Ivan hated to admit it, he'd gone a bit too far. Logically – despite the strangle hold that Kai had put him in – Hiwatari wouldn't have actually killed him. He would have dropped him before he passed out, and sneered at him for a few hours. Papov would be fine, and at the end of the day no harm would have been really permanent. Even his broken arm would have been in a decent enough condition to be healed perfectly in a few weeks.

He was the one who had landed that throat shot and could have caused true damage. He was the one at fault in this fight. Sighing, he moved closer, touching the man's shoulder. Red eyes stared up at him in confusion, he looked so lost for a moment there. Ivan bit his lip. The Abbey still seemed to leave horror marks on its victims. That and this new experience at the Temple. Why was it religion always wanted to kill them? He couldn't help it, guilt flooded his veins.

Kai didn't like his neck getting touched or looked at by anyone. It was why, for nearly half his life, he had his hair long or a scarf around it. He never explained the odd aversion to anyone, but whatever the reason was – there was a deep seeded fear attached to it. Kai Hiwatari was scared of very few things, but the things he was scared of all were wrapped around dark memories of vicious events long past.

Ivan may never have understood why it was Kai hated his neck to be touched, but as he sat across from the man at that moment – he knew that it was an issue that he had. He looked like a child. He looked like that poor little broken boy that had first come back from the three and had been so compliant and malleable. He was frightened, and his knee jerk reaction was to curl in on himself and just will it away.

It was strange, but Papov recalled easily at that moment Luka's initial reaction to finding out he was sick. He didn't seem to understand what it meant. Sure, he had taken care of Kiril and Adrien and a whole bus full of the F-five kids when they were sick...but _he'd _never been sick before. It didn't make sense that he _was _sick. He'd always had...Wolborg.

Well, Wolborg was gone now. Ivan clearly recalled looking at the redhead as he started to cough and sneeze and vomit for the first time in his life. Those blue eyes were filled with fear. This new experience had frightened him. He didn't like the unknown, and this was unknown. As Ivan looked at Kai he realized that Kai was likely the same way.

He didn't like it when his throat was touched, let alone punched, and the blood that was filling his mouth and the inability to talk normally had scared him. He didn't know what he was supposed to do and he was honestly frightened by it. Ivan ran a hand through his hair. He didn't know what he was supposed to do either though. Taking him to the hospital seemed like a bright idea, but they were locked in this closet with barely enough room for a proper fight, let alone a medical examination.

He also worried if calling him 'Sacha' had been all that great of an idea. After all...like a split personality, Kai seemed much more capable of handling anything and everything then Sacha was. Sacha was just a little kid. A little kid who thought he'd murdered his parents. He knew that they were the same person, and unlike Kiril it wasn't a true disorder.

Still though, it seemed that being called Sacha awakened a set of repressed memories that Kai himself kept at bay most his life. First and foremost – there was an unflinching loyalty to his foster brothers. Ivan had noticed that Mikhail called Kai 'Sacha' occasionally, and Kai never called him out on it. Bryan and Spencer said it a few times in the past, but Kai had told them not too. It seemed he was selective on those that could use it. Tala, as with everything in Kai's life, apparently had fair game. Even if he hadn't been given premission though – he'd probably do it just to annoy him.

Jealousy coursed through Ivan's veins. He grit his teeth at the familiar twang and as he settled back to lean against the wall closest to his companion, he couldn't help but feel his heart leak with emotion. He felt the stinging of tears in his eyes even as he held his arm to his chest. None of this was fair. Hell, life wasn't fucking fair.

"I'm sorry." He whispered painfully. Red eyes glanced over towards him in confusion. Even as Kai spat out a mouth full of blood, that confusion lingered.

"For what?" He wheezed, tilting his head back and trying to keep brom gagging on the blood that was filling his mouth. He didn't feel good, and he got the fact that Ian, Ivan, whomever, felt bad...but he didn't really want to have heart throbbing conversations when he felt like he was going to throw up.

"It's just...you made me so mad." Ah, for the punch then. He could live with that. Well, maybe. Why was it that A. he couldn't get through six months without nearly dying; B. he had a sick sense of humor when he was dying; and C. whenever he was dying it always happened to be when he was locked in some place with someone he hadn't spent much time with in the past few years? Talk about nuisances. "I thought it'd be better if I left." Now that was a new one. He glanced over towards the now sobbing mass of flesh before him. His arm looked like it smarted a bit. Good. He deserved it.

"The school?" Kai clarified softly as he spat out more blood that kept interfering with his ability to breathe. Who the hell decided he needed a blood supply to that part of his throat anyway. Seriously! Evolution should have kicked that a long time ago. Let's put blood right where you breathe, that way if an accident happens – you'll die! Smart idea, very smart idea. Let's keep _that_ instead of six fingers on every hand.

And another thing, why was it that having five fingers was a recessive trait? If everyone had it, then why was it recessive. Shouldn't it have been dominent? Kai could think of a lot of things six fingers would be useful for. He could probably type faster...and those hand held cast puzzles that you had to balance on your finger tips with one hand and put together with the other...just think of all the ways it could improve that skill.

On that note, he tried to shove puzzles out of his head. Ian...Ivan...was still blabbering and he needed to focus on that and not recessive and dominent traits.

"You and Tala were always together...and when you weren't, Tala and Bryan were always together...and when they weren't Bryan and Spencer were always together...and you always were with them. No one ever wanted to spend time with me." Kai groaned. Ian was throwing himself a pity party because he thought they didn't like him? That was a new one. He spat out some more blood and rubbed his throat. God it hurt!

"You...thought...we didn...like...ya...?" He clarified. His head was spinning. The good news was that he wouldn't have to be stuck in here for much longer.

"I probably never would have joined the ISA if it hadn't been for you guys..." That wasn't much of a surprise. Kai could have told him that when he was nine. "You were all so motivated though. I thought that if I didn't join you guys wouldn't be my friend. Then there was always that fear that I might tell someone. That I'd rat you guys out. So I joined too...

"Then Luka got Anna, and you got Adeline-"

"Bry 'n Spence don' have girl...fends..." He mumbled and Ian shook his head.

"But suddenly we weren't just...us...anymore. You were all 'watch your mouth in front of the girls' and so concerned with etiquette and being all polite and shit. Bryan and Spencer both starting hangin' out with themselves more. You all never just seemed to want to do anything with me. You were all in your own lives. You wanted me there only because I was apart of an organization I didn't really belong too in the first place.

"The kids at the school never wanted me around. When they had problems they went to the other Officers. They didn't value my advice or my opinion, and you and Tala barely were there anymore. You were all family-man and that was that. So I went off to find my own family." Kai rolled his eyes.

"You lef'...day afta Kiril 'n Dri 'n Xan...came back ta Ruski..." Ian bit his lip and looked away. He knew that was the truth, but it felt like he'd put it off so much until then.

"I needed to meet them Kai...I needed to meet them and see for myself what I'd missed out on. You and Tala and Mikhail...you all had parents. Even Anna and Adeline had parents. Michaels was always that father guy for Bryan, and even if the adoption was only finalized when the man vanished, he was still there for Bryan at some point."

"Micha...dere for ya too..." Kai pressed a hand to his throbbing head. God he didn't feel like having his conversation right now. Ian was just too absorbed in it to think any differently.

"But he wasn't my family. I wanted to meet them...and I loved them. I wanted to catch up with them. I wanted to figure out the new with them. They weren't touched by the darkness of the Abbey. They weren't haunted by the evil of Boris. They weren't trapped in that hell like we were. They were just a normal family."

"Normal's...setting...on a dryer..." Kai mumbled. "Over...rated."

"No. Normal's not getting your legs broken so you can't ever grow, normal's when the worst thing that you can think of is you don't get your taxes in on time. That's normal Kai. I wanted normal. I didn't want to be an ISA agent at fifteen. I didn't want to be known for being involved with the Abbey. I didn't want the danger or the fear. I didn't want my friends to rub it in my face how close they all had gotten and how I wasn't apart of that." Kai couldn't help it, he laughed. It ended in a coughing fit – but he did get at least one chuckle out of it.

"Ian...you're our brother." He looked straight at him. "We didn' care if ya wanted normal. We...jus wanted ta still have ya in our life. Ya jus left. Ya left 'n ya never came ba." He clenched his eyes for a moment and focused on breathing. In and out. In and out. In and out. That's the ticket. In and out. In and out. "We don' care if you wan ta be with them...but...we cared when you stopped wantin' ta be with us." He spat out some more blood, another wave of nausea flooded through him. He felt like he was going to be sick. That wouldn't make this throat feel better at all. Why'd Ian have to kick his ribs while he was at it? Fucker. "Ya left when...school...jus gettin' started...we were busy...didn' mean to leave ya out...but we had so much work ta do...hundreds o' kids...needed home."

"Kai?" The man's voice was slurring badly, and from the bleary way that he was looking around, Ian couldn't help but feel the spike of terror in his heart. The man slumped to the side, and Ian caught him easily. "Kai, Kai?" Nothing. He was out cold. Out cold with his throat filling with blood. Horror crossed Ian's features. Dear God, he looked back at the door. "Help! Somebody help!" He felt his heart pounding in his ears. "Help us!"

He moved the man's head so that at least some of the blood was falling out of his mouth instead of back down his throat. He couldn't believe he'd actually punched Kai in the throat. Kai! He'd punched Kai in the throat. One of his best friends since he was a kid. The guy he'd grown up with and admired. The person he'd always wanted to be like when he got older.

Money, pretty girl, beautiful kids, brains, brawn, height, hair. Kai was practically any man's dream persona. He had everything he wanted, and Ian had just landed a potentially lethal blow to his throat of all places! While they were locked in a fucking closet!

"Somebody, I need help in here, please! Somebody!" He could only hope that someone out there was listening, because if Kai died...that really would be the end of his friendship with the Officers. There was no way he could explain his way out of that one. There was no way he could make it better.

Essentially he would have killed their friend just because he was pissed off at him. In a fit of anger, he'd punched him in the throat, collapsed his windpipe and ruptured his vocal chords. Yep. That sounded like a one way trip to hell.

On the bright side, his arm didn't hurt nearly as bad as he terror in his chest did. Funny how adrenaline acted like a pain killer when you were terrified.

* * *

Anna and Tala, thankfully, were doing a bit better. While they hadn't resorted to a fist fight...they certainly had resorted to name calling and all sorts of inappropriate behaviour since then. True, they were a step up from Kai and Ian's situation – no one was in danger of dying – but they were not the most pleasant people to be around that was for certain.

Tala was laying on his back staring up at the ceiling, one of his fingers twirling his red hair around and around until it was practically curling the locks. Anna glowered over towards him, for some reason, that was annoying her too.

"Aren't you the least bit worried that we're stuck in here?" She asked after her watch ticked off that it'd been five days since they'd been captured. He shrugged.

"I'm more in awe of the fact that I'm getting sudafed with my meals." He told her simply. She glowered down at him. Predictable. They've been kidnapped and he's interested in their dining plan.

"I hardly think that our food choice is of high importance." He laughed slightly at that.

"You're kidding me right? What, you forget 'POW 101?' They gave me cold medicine. We haven't been interrogated, we haven't been tortured for information – except for our current lodgings, and hey – they gave us some clothes to wear. Clothes that were in our rooms at home if I may point out." She glanced at him.

"What's your point?" She asked at long last. Clearly the point was lost on her.

"We're not under siege from some new enemy. Either someone's playing a prank on us, or it's just some run of the mill person that's just keeping us here for ransom and doesn't want us to die before hand. Someone connected to the school in some way. We'll be fine. As long as we tolerate each other and don't kill one another, I think we'll make it out of here A.O.K." He stretched out a bit and closed his eyes.

"God; Tala, your pathetic."

"Oh bitch, do. It's been so long." He muttered, rolling onto his side so his back was to her. He wasn't in the mood to hear more of her whining. He could hardly believe he'd fallen in love with this woman in the first place.

"Have you even thought about the fact that Tri is left by himself while we're here?" She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Have you even considered that he's in a school with nearly five hundred people surrounding him, not to mention the other Officers are there, not to mention Kiril and Adrien will look out for him, not to mention that in the event that they can't – Adeline's there too?" Clearly she hadn't.

"Have you even considered that they might be captured as well?"

"Spare me. The coffee pot was drugged. I highly doubt that Kiril and Adrien forsook their obsession with soda to switch over to...what was it..._that sickening brew that tastes like gasoline on steroids_...I believe they called it?"

"What about the others? They drink coffee."

"True. Maybe the school's been attacked and there's no one to pay our ransom. Maybe we'll just die in here together. God damn it. I knew I should have saved up my sudafed. I might need it to overdose later when the pain just gets too much to bear. Whatever will I do?" Anna was about this close to killing him right now if he didn't shut up.

"God, you're such an ass, do you have to have to answer everything I say sarcastically?" He just smirked.

"Probably. You keep asking such stupid questions."

"Why are you being such an ass to me! What the hell did I do to deserve this?" Well that sparked a reaction. He sat up and glowered at her. His blue eyes burrowing a hole in her head.

"When you ran off and didn't tell anyone, and ruined everything just so you could play at being hero."

"What do you want me to do? Apologize for saving your life?"

"Yes! Or maybe you could just start by explaining how the hell you thought everything was going to get better by doing it the way that you did." She flinched slightly. "God, Anna." He reached out and touched her face. "You were my world. I get the fact that you left to save our lives – yey us...but Anya...why didn't you trust me enough to tell me what happened?" She looked away, her eyes down cast as she tried to think of what she was supposed to say. "They were _our _lives Anna. All you had to do was tell us and everything would have been okay. We would have taken out your family together...we could have spent the last seven years together and happy instead of apart and arguing." She met his gaze, and bit her lip.

"I'm sorry. I made a mistake." He nodded slightly, sighing as he caught her gently by the back of her head and pulled her to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her.

"Why didn't you trust me Anya? You were pregnant with my kid, from that alone you should have just known that I would have done everything to keep you safe. I wouldn't have let anything happen to you or the others."

"They'd killed Marcus already, they had ways of getting inside the school. You can't keep your eye on five hundred kids and everything else at the same time Luka." He wouldn't tell her how much he longed to have her say that name again. It'd been far too long...far too long in deed. "I didn't want anyone else to get hurt...I didn't want anyone else to die."

"So you made me think that I was a terrible father, that you couldn't stand to see how I was treating Kiril and that you didn't believe our son could exist in a world with me in it. Then you ran off leaving a hell of a note and a bitch of an answering machine message on your cell phone." When he put it like that...it made her feel like shit. Her eyes looked up to meet his. "You have terrible timing as well." Sighing he pulled away and got a good look at her face. "Kiril was going to call you his mother when we got back." Her mouth dropped slightly. "Do you realize how much you fucked with that kid's head? He was just getting over the fact that his own mother had left him for good, and now you do it too? Not to mention the fact that his mother was pregnant at the time and ah – so were you." He closed his eyes for a moment.

"I didn't mean to hurt Kiril..."

"I know you didn't Anya, but it's exactly what you did. You tore that kid's heart out. He's been a real prick ever since you left. Most of it was my fault, but hell I did have some help." She smiled apologetically.

"What happened?"

"I ran out the door and tried to find you, and I left Kiril in Italy by himself." He whispered guiltily.

"You did what?"

"Damion came over after a while -"

"You left him by himself?"

"And took care of him."

"How long's a while?" he winced slightly.

"Three days."

"You left him in a foreign country, he could barely speak the language of, by _himself, _for three days?" She stared at him in horror and Tala sighed.

"Yes well, at the time we'd already established I was a shitty parent." He ran a tired hand over his face. God he was exhausted. He'd barely slept a wink since they'd gotten there. He was far too worried about what could happen in the darkness of their room at night to fall asleep.

"I didn't expect you to go and prove me right!" She snapped in shock.

"It didn't help that after Damion found him and reamed Kai out on the phone-"

"Kai was in Japan." She growled, and he nodded.

"Yes, visiting the Blade Breakers. I know. I flew out to see him."

"You left our son in Italy for three days so you could fly out to Japan?" He shook his head.

"I left our son in Italy for three days while I tracked your cell phone across five different countries and two continents until I finally flew out to Japan, at which point I had a nice mental breakdown and Kai called Italy to check on Kiril and he got yelled at by Damion in the process. We didn't go back to Italy for another ten months or so. Kiril stayed with Damion for the rest of that year." When Anna seemed to be in too much shock to say anything, Tala continued. "It was supposed to be a lot quicker, but the other Officers and I couldn't find you. Kai and I headed down to South Africa after months of looking for you, and on our flight to Italy to pick up Kiril and head home – lo and behold. Our plane crashed."

She remembered that very well. Very well in deed. She remembered staring at her two friends as they lay on the sand completely exhausted and broken nearly beyond recognition. She remembered staring at the blood that covered them, the injuries that could kill them, and the horror struck faces that were staring up at her in dumb silence.

She'd saved their lives.

_"That's Kai Hiwatari and Tala Ivanov. They both have more then enough money to fund your entire Temple, let alone anything else you could get for them on the side." She had been sent to talk to someone in Egypt about joining their cause, and it was a God-send that her family hadn't been there. Only the people who had been sent to make sure that she didn't make any daring escape attempts. _

_"How do I know you're not lying?" The man had asked her. "They will die soon anyway."_

_"If you save their lives, Hiwatari has more then enough money to pay for anything you'll ever want. He's the heir to Hiwatari Enterprises...he's the richest man on the planet right now, and Tala's his big brother."_

_The men had liked that plan and had grabbed the two, taking them from the oasis and bringing them to a tent where Anna had spent hours upon hours tending to their wounds. _

_Kai groaned loudly as he opened his eyes. He was lying on his back, and he gasped as he looked about him. Anna had turned and just caught sight of his frantic eyes looking about. She pushed him back down just as he caught sight of his sleeping brother off to the left. Then he turned and met her eyes. She was wearing an abaya around her. She wouldn't let him see her face. It was too dangerous!_

_"Who are you?" He whispered in arabic. They were in Egypt after all. She couldn't help but grimace slightly, as much as she hated to admit it – she didn't want to hear him speaking that language to her. After the years of teasing that she never got Russian down, she was proud when she'd become fluent in his native tongue. Now that she was in hiding from him though, she knew that it wasn't an option. There was no need to mention how much the question itself had hurt her though. _I'm Anna._ She longed to say._ I'm the girl you lived with half your life...I'm your friend._ She couldn't say that though. She knew that better then anything._

_"My name is none of your concern." She answered instead. "Your friend is very weak. He may not last the night. His burns are very bad." Tala was lucky to be alive. She looked back at him from the corner of her eye. Very lucky._

_"How bad?" Kai whispered, his pale face seeming to drown in horror at her words. He was scared. She knew it too._

_"Bad enough. I have put some salve on his burns, they should start healing hopefully. If they do not though, and infection sets as I fear it has already begun to do so, you would be wise to allow the end of his life. He will not make it."_

_"You saved our lives just to kill us?" Kai hissed incredulously. She glowered at him._

_"I saved your lives to see if you could be saved. You are useful to us for our own purposes. I assume you are from good money?" She asked as she motioned knowingly towards his blue stained face. They had faded drastically over the days, becoming nor more then just streaks that were barely recognizable, but they were still there._

_"I have money. Yes. Him too. Him more then me." She laughed at him, and he knew that the lie was obvious. He was one of the richest people in the world, of course Tala wouldn't have more money then him, though he was entitled to almost as much of as he was._

_"Your friend won't survive if his infection sets. You will be sold in two weeks time in the underground markets...there you may hope to buy your freedom, but my guess is that you won't last even a day there." She stood up and made to leave, but he caught her wrist._

_"Don't sell us...I will pay you whatever it is that you need, more then what they could offer you, just keep him alive and don't sell us and you will be compensated." How she longed to care for him, save him. How she longed to bring him and his brother to safety. She'd risked her life to save theirs and they just had to go and crash a plane!_

_"Anna..." Tala was whispering in his sleep again, his delirium clear. He was waking up, his hazy eyes glancing around the room. She froze slightly as she looked at him, her eyes wide. Kai's attention was diverted, and it was a good thing because she had gone rigid and even her skin looked pale though there was only a small bit of it showing._

_"Shh...Luka...its alright." Kai reached out and touched his brother's face, trying to keep the nightmares at bay._

_"Don't....go..." Pale fingers by passed Kai and caught the woman's hidden hand and she stared at him for a long while as blue eyes looked unflinchingly towards her. The two of them took each other in, and Kai frowned as he noticed Tala's confusion._

_"No brother, she's not-"_

_"Anna..." She needed to end this. He couldn't know! It'd break his heart!_

_"Release me." She hissed, her voice dark and tense. The pale fingers flinched in shock and did let go of her. Hazy blue eyes stared at her, tears seemingly forming in his glass eyes._

_"Tala that's not Anna...Anna was pregnant...she's not pregnant." True enough, the woman was certainly not pregnant, there was not even the trace of a baby bump. Yet that only made Tala's face pale even more, his breath coming in short gasps, he looked like he was on the verge of hyperventilating. Tears fell from his eyes, his head tossed to the side, he choked back a sob. Anna felt like crying at the horror she saw before her. Tala thought the worst had happened to their child, and she couldn't convince him otherwise. She turned and fled. It was the only thing she could do in that situation. It was the only thing she'd let herself do._

Anna looked at Tala now. He healed remarkably well considering the damage that had been done to his body. She could still remember everything that had happened that night...so crystal clear in her mind, and she knew that there were questions that needed to be answered on both sides.

_When Anna returned, Tala's fever was worse. He was thrashing slightly as his body tried to sort itself out. Kai was exhausted. He couldn't keep himself awake. "Don't kill him." Kai whispered, his head all but lolling downwards. He was struggling to stay upright, and he was sounding more and more delirious as time went by. She looked at him with blank eyes, but concern was obvious on her features. She couldn't school them. Not like this. "Please..." Never before had Kai Hiwatari ever begged for anything, but now he was doing so. He was doing so because he knew he had nothing left. Physically he could not defend his brother should the worst happen._

_Wolborg and Dranzer would, at best, serve as a distraction. They couldn't possibly stay out and protect them forever. Eventually they would fade when they had no energy, and then the two men would be at the mercy of these bandits. Anna was looking at him sternly. She knew it as much as he did. He knew that they were at the end of their luck. They were finally about to be killed._

_"I will not kill him. Not until he is too far gone." She didn't add that that meant when the two of them were prepared to be sold into the life she was now in. She would kill them both herself before they were forced to live in the same conditions that she was now enduring. She wouldn't allow them to do that. She wouldn't. Couldn't. She refused. Once they realized what was happening around them, that she had lied earlier when she'd said that there was a chance they could buy their freedom, and that they were both being prepared to become slaves to the group she was working for, they were going to react badly, and when there was no hope left, she would end their lives. "Get some rest...you do your body no good to stay up like this." He pitched forward suddenly and she caught up, forcing him to lay back down as she shook her head at his stubborness. His arms were still wrapped around his brother._

_She gently pulled Tala free from his grasp, his fevered hands holding onto her weakly. She looked down at him, and he stared unflinchingly up at her. Fever or no, he would always be able to find her, even in the darkest of nights. She glanced at the door of the tent to make sure no one was there, and then leaned closer as he whispered the name of that woman once more._

_"Anna..."_

_"Shh...look what a mess your in, you'll never learn to do things the easy way will you?" She whispered softly as she ran her hand through his sweat soaked hair._

_"Anna..." He pulled the cloth from her face away, revealing the pretty features he had ingrained in his heart. She was speaking in soft Russian, for his benefit more then her own. She clearly understood Arabic, as did he, but that wasn't the point. He was in shock,, and Russian would always be the easist for him to understand._

_"Rest love, you need to rest, if you don't you're just going to get sicker and sicker." She held his hand in hers as she stroked his red hair._

_"Why...d'you go?" He asked brokenly, leaning into her touch._

_"I'm sorry...I had no choice..." She told him honestly. She gently touched his burning cheek._

_"The baby..." She froze in her caring gestures. She didn't know what to say or what to do. How could she explain what happened to a dying man in shock? He wouldn't understand._

_"Stop that!" She pushed him onto the ground, forcing him to lay still. "Listen to me...you're going to get out of here. You're going to be alright. You're going to get out of here and you're going to go home. You're not going to come looking for me or worry about me anymore alright? I'm okay. I'm going to be okay. You need to listen to me, please, just stay where you're safe and don't do anything stupid again okay?" He blinked at her, clearly not fully understanding what she was saying, but it didn't matter. A moment later she'd pressed down on a pressure point on his neck and he fell into a dead faint._

_She had stayed with them until Bryan came bursting through the tent. By then she'd placed the cloth about her features and he couldn't identify who she was. He shot her without even blinking, and as she'd fallen she could recall the feeling of life just leaving her. She wondered faintly if anyone would find her. Apparently they had. _

_She'd woken up next to Michaels and the rest was history. _

"Why weren't you pregnant. I don't understand that part." Tala asked her at long last. She sighed, nodding.

"Dmitri's premature. Before he was completely ready to be born, they took me out of my...cell...and preformed a C-section. He nearly died...I was shipped off to Egypt not too long afterwards and told if I ever wanted to see my son again I wasn't going to try to escape." She lifted her shirt up somewhat to show the scar.

"Bastard didn't die slow enough." Tala hissed, fury crossing his features. He pulled the woman back to his chest and held her there. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She felt her heart throbbing in her chest as she held onto him. Tears were coming unbiddingly, and the next thing she knew – the both of them were crying.

"I only got to see him twice a month...four hours a month that's it! How can I be a mother if I have only known him from a couple of visits? God, he must hate me." Tala kissed the side of her head, rocking her in his arms. He felt his anger leaving. In truth, his anger really had just been misplaced. The Ottilias were dead. They were dead and gone, and instead of accepting their reign of terror as being over, he took it out on Anna.

"He doesn't hate you." He whispered softly. "He doesn't. He loves you. He's young and the young accept things much easier. He'll be alright. Tri'll be alright." She clung to him desperately.

"God I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry." He nodded against her head.

"It's alright. Shh...It's going to be alright. We're going to make this work ya? You and me. We're going to get this all sorted out. We gotta walk together on this. Not in front or behind one another. Together. Side by side – that's what being a parent is all about. Working together and being together." He pulled back slightly, and then for the first time in seven years, he placed a much needed kiss on her lips.

And as most kisses go, one kiss turned into two...which turned into three...which turned into four...which turned into a whole lot more then just kisses. Tala Ivanov and Anna Jones were just discovering the joys of a make up. The first one was always the best.


	36. Jorge Ortega And The Article In The News

**Windstar: **Thanks to my two reviewers last time, I really loved it! Only a little bit longer chapter's a little bit shorter then last time, but not at all lacking in content. There is a brief over brush of a sex scene in this just as a warning.

**Disclaimer: **Same as usual.

**Chapter Thirty-Five: **

Blushing slightly and leaning back into her lover's arms, Anna glanced up at him with a bright smile on her face. He was looking rather smug all things considered, and she couldn't help but laugh at his 'cat that ate the canary' appearance. She could have sworn those were feathers poking out of his toothy grin.

"You do realize that there are probably cameras in here." She commented lightly, and just like she knew he would – he grinned deeper.

"Then our captors got quite the show didn't they?" He teased as he snuggled into her hair. She laughed, shaking her head.

"God, we make up for barely ten minutes and we have sex in our Closet of Doom." He snickered at the name.

"You wish we hadn't?" He asked her, eyes growing serious all of a sudden. He didn't want her to think that he'd pressured her into something. She was shaking her head.

"I've been wanting to do that for years."

It was awkward at first. Hormones had flooded their bodies and the mutual attraction they'd had for one another soaked deep into their minds. He lay her back and kissed her lips and she opened her mouth almost begging for him to kiss her more. What happened next was just the result of seven years of pent up emotions. It wasn't exactly a 'quickie' but at the same time it wasn't the long passionate love filled romance that their coupling had been in the past.

It was funny; how easily their bodies fit together, how much they remembered each other's spots, how much they'd missed the feeling of hands on skin and the voices that went with it. If they'd known it would be that good they would have done it ages ago. Maybe it would have saved them a great amount of arguing and bullshitting before they finally got back to square one.

They'd clothed themselves quickly afterwards, and despite the feeling of being giddy and newly in love again they couldn't help but feel just a wee bit of embarassment at the fact they'd indulged in their first love making moment in a closet of all things. Tala mumbled a brief apology at some point and promised to make it up to her later. She couldn't help but blush at that and told him that he had better.

After a couple of hours of snuggling and giggling and feeling quite satisfied with themselves, they heard the first sounds of someone on the outside of their door. Tala quite easily maneuvered her so she was slightly behind him – quite the feet considering the amount of room in their prison and the ability to do so quickly.

Still, when the door opened and they blinked up to look at their would-be captors, neither parent could quite comprehend the sight that came before them. In fact, it took them a few moments to clear their thoughts. At first- they wondered if they'd been rescued. Upon seeing for themselves that they actually recognized the outside of the room at least to some degree, and they most certainly recognized who was at the door...they negated that fact.

"Umm...before you ground me, it was totally Adrien's idea." Kiril told them, his face showing every once of guilt that he felt as he blushed horribly and looked in the opposite direction of the location where their love making had taken place. Anna slapped a hand to her face and ducked her head. Completely mortified she didn't know what she was supposed to say to that, but apparently Tala had a few ideas.

"Did he now?" He asked coldly, glowering at the teenager who was shifting uneasily from one foot to the other. The humor almost sounded forced though. Something else was bothering Kiril, and Tala intended to find out what. He could just hear Adrien out the door and apparently hiding from the redhead's wrath.

"Tell him the fucking truth Kiril, if I'm going to get in trouble you might as well get in trouble with me." That was a great deal harsher then how the brunette usually sounded. Blue eyes narrowed. Standing up, Tala stalked forwards, peering out the door and staring in both annoyance and a bit of frustration at the sight of not only Adrien – but Bryan, as well.

"Someone want to explain what's going on?" he hissed out as he roughly caught both teenagers by the arms and glowered at them. Adrien didn't bother to tug free. In fact he just let his arm lay limply in the man's hold. Frowning, Tala couldn't help but wonder what the hell happened on their little hiatus.

"Ah well, they decided that it was a good idea to lock you all up and see if you could work out your issues when you were forced together for long periods of time." Bryan said as he pointed at the boys. "I thought that it was a bad idea-"

"You're the one who drugged the coffee you traitor." Adrein yelled furiously, glaring at him with all his might. Kiril just looked away – terribly awkward and feeling horrible at the moment. "Besides, we have more pressing issues to discuss at the moment." The brunette snapped as he glared at Bryan. Tala frowned.

"As much as I want to deal with this right now, and I hesitate to ask...what's these pressing issues?" Tala looked towards Bryan who sighed. His face turned grim. Anna stepped up, placing a hand on Tala's shoulder.

"Ian and Kai were in the same deal. We put them in a room and pretty much left them alone so they could work out their issues." Bryan started as he picked at one of his nails awkwardly.

"If their little session ended like ours, I'm going to be sick." Tala muttered as he glanced towards the teenagers. Neither were laughing. In fact, they looked a bit paler then he thought they should be. He was furious they'd locked them up, but at the same time – it served its purpose and Anna and him were back on common grounds. They wouldn't get grounded too badly. Still, something else was bothering their supposed kidnappers.

"Nah Lu...it didn't end anything up like your little X-rated porno." Kiril groaned at Bryan's words, blushing furiously despite his obvious worry and (fear?) In the situation. Blue eyes glanced back at the older man. Something was most definitely wrong. "Kai's in the hospital. Ivan punched out his throat." The parents did a double take at that.

They could hardly believe it. Ivan was two feet shorter and a great deal less muscular then Kai was. For him to get within striking distance of Kai's throat was an accomplishment in of itself. The fact that he actually had though...that was the real troublesome part.

"What did you just say?" Anna whispered in shock. "How is he?" Her eyes whipped to Adrien who was staring pointedly at the floor.

"We don't know. He was unconscious by the time we got to him." The brunette whispered quietly. Tala's fingers slipped from the boys' arms. Instead he touched that dark hair and gently pulled the teen to his chest, hugging him as he turned to Bryan.

"Ian?" He asked simply, his meaning clear.

"Busted ribs and a pretty broken arm. He's in shock. Adeline took Craig to the hospital-" The air wielder was cut off abruptly.

"Who?"

"Craig, Ivan's kid brother. Boy's, I don't know, ten? Something like that. He's been staying here since we threw Papov into that room. Something about not trusting us or some such shit. He threw a fit when he saw the two duking it out-"

"You were watching?"

"Yeah, we had cameras on you guys the whole time. Dri here," He motioned towards the by now extremely worried looking teenager who'd dropped his guard enough to encircle his arms around his Uncle's waist. "wanted to stop the fight as soon as it started, I told him to hold off. You know how we were when we were kids. We were always beating the shit out of each other when we were pissed. Spence had a few hits on you when you were outed with Black Dranzer and all...I figured if it was meant to be the two would duke it out and when they were too exhausted to fight eventually they'd get all their shit off their chests."

"And did they?" Tala wondered, already starting to walk towards the supposed exit. He knew this place well. It was a storage warehouse that they used to use for holding anything that the school would need in the future. He just never thought that he'd be locked in one of the secured closets that held the most valuable of F-Five property. Ironic...

"Wouldn't know. Last thing we saw – Ivan blasted Kai in the throat with his fist and Kai was coughing up blood. By the time we drove over to get them out, Kai was passed out on the ground and Ivan was in fucking shock."

They were almost out of the warehouse now. Tala's right arm was secure around Adrien's shoulders and Kiril was hurrying to keep up with them all. Anna raced after them, her eyes and ears locked on the scene that was playing out before them. She could hardly believe this was happening. On one hand – it made sense that they'd done what they'd done, on the other hand though- she was more then a little pissed off about it.

They could have gotten them all killed! Kai for certain was going to be in a hell of a lot of pain when he woke up. If he woke up. She stole a glance at Adrien. He looked terrible. Anyone could tell that he wanted to be anywhere but here. Right now he looked like he was the living dead. He was worried about his father, and he wanted to be with him.

Bryan had a car readied, and in it were some fresh clothes. It only took a few moments but the two former prisoners quickly pulled them on and climbed into the vehicle. Tala motioned wordlessly for Anna to take the front, and he sandwiched Adrien between him and his blood brother. Right now the teen looked like he'd been to hell and back, and most likely he had been. Lord only knows what was playing through his head at the moment. He had a bad feeling it had something to do with the last time Kai had up and died on the teen. He didn't know much about it, but he doubted the gentle hearted boy took it well.

Before he could think much on it, the car was in motion, and they were off. No one said much as they drove onwards. The hospital wasn't too far away from the warehouse, and despite the adrenaline rushing through Tala's veins from the possibility of them actually meeting real kidnappers, Tala wasn't in the mood to say much anyway. He looked at Adrien, and felt rather agitated about the whole deal. Why was it that things just couldn't be easy?

Why did Ian and Kai have to beat each other senseless instead of talk to one another?

He had to be honest. When he first saw Ian, or Ivan as apparently he wanted to be called, in that cell – he hadn't known what to think. He obviously jumped straight to the logical answer of: he came by to help. It was sweet, and he appreciated the concern. It was probably why the others made him go feed him. It would catch him up without having to explain much.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit angry at the other man. Unlike Kai though, he didn't spend much time with him since he was pointedly – kidnapped at the time. He had ample time to digest Ian's, Ivan's, return without having it be rubbed in his face. Kai held a nasty grudge though. In his little pocket of friends, Ivan had popped a hole in his bubble.

Considering the amount of arguments they got into – it was logical that the fight was going to happen. The fact that it led to them nearly killing each other was something that troubled the young Commander. He glanced towards Kai's most talkative child. Adrien was a wreck.

He may have been involved with this whole faux kidnapping deal, but he wasn't planning on any impromptu trips to the hospital. He certainly wasn't planning on the possibility that Kai was going to die. There's a reason that they didn't practice throat shots on real people when they were training. Apparently, Ian didn't get that memo, or if he did...Ivan didn't adhere to it.

The car stopped and everyone hurried out of it. Walking through the halls of the waiting room, they only came to a stop when they caught sight of a rather torn Adeline who was pale faced and crying. Adrien rushed to her side, kneeling before her and looking up at her with big green eyes. Her arms encircled his head and she hugged him weakly.

"Addy?" Tala asked as he sat down beside her. She glanced up at him – dazed. A boy not too far away was obviously Ian's brother. If he wasn't, he was doing his best impression of a wet cat- hissing and spitting and hackles raised he looked like he was chewing on a sour candy. Spencer was trying to talk to him, but he kept saying things like how he was going to sue Kai and some such shit. Bryan just snapped that Ivan started the fight in the first place, and Kai was the one who was in danger of dying.

The comment didn't go unheard by either the man's wife or child. They both flinched at the words. Tala scowled at his older friend, and Bryan winced. He hadn't really meant it like that. The redhead focused solely on the blonde woman who was struggling to keep herself composed. Kai had worked hard to keep her out of the more dangerous aspect of his life. As far as Tala knew, Kai purposefully kept her far away from hospital visits or minute details like...he died.

"Oh Luka...I'm scared." The woman admitted lightly. "I just got him back." He nodded, kissing the side of her head as he let her rest her head on his shoulder. Anna knew better then to get upset over the fact that he was close with Adeline. She knew full well that Tala held no romantic feelings towards the woman. They were simply good friends, legally siblings, and the kiss was his way of comforting her.

"Hey...he's gotten worse injuries before and he's pulled out alright. We both have." Plane crashes, whippings, bullet wounds, and death were left unsaid. "Where are the twins?" He asked softly. She sniffed and pulled back a little so she could look him in the eye.

"Michaels said he'd take care of them and Tri, he's watching out for the school as well." It wasn't that surprising. Michaels had decided to stay with them when they moved back to Russia, and with everyone in the hospital and panic settling in – he made the most sense as the one who should be left behind.

Mikhail wasn't there though, and that was surprising. Tala could have sworn that if Adrien was worried this badly, Mikhail would have shown up in a heart beat. He too had moved back to Russia with them. He had chuckled lightly when he saw the name of their meeting hall. It was obvious he was touched by it. All that aside though, he was just getting into the flow of reality.

He was awestruck by the new inventions of the era and was still getting used to the adjustment. He tended to cling onto Adrien's side most of the time. The fact that he wasn't there now was slightly troublesome. Tala wasn't going to mention it though. They had enough things to worry about, though, besides Mikhail's vanishing spell.

The doors opened at the end of the hall, and they looked up to see a rather black and blue looking Ivan walking towards them. There was a nurse that was following after him, talking quickly. He was completely ignoring her. Those that hadn't seen it before, took inventory of the injuries.

His arm was in a solid cast and sling and it didn't look like it would be moving anytime soon. He was wearing a button down shirt and the bandages were just visible around his chest. Broken ribs for sure. Other then that...nothing. Not even a black eye. Tala hated to admit it, but considering the younger man knocked Kai off his ass – Ian did good. If he hadn't nearly killed Kai in the process Tala might have even congratulated him.

He ignored them mostly, and muttered something to the nurse behind the desk. The woman there gave him a confused look before pulling out some paperwork. She handed it to him and he started signing it away – even while the other nurse was still busy yelling at him. Typical Demolition Boy behaviour. They hated doctors, hospitals, and people who claimed to have a medical license. They'd seen the flip side of that coin far too often.

Bryan laughed slightly as he looked at the nurse that was busy calling Ian a fool for signing out. He recognized that fiery spirit. It was the same little petite nurse that took care of Kiril when he was out of it. Hmm...maybe she'd turned twenty by now...

"Don't worry about him Miss. Chekova, he won't listen to a word you say." The nurse spun about and stared at him for a moment, and in all honesty the others were staring at him too. Bryan could have sworn he heard Spencer mutter 'jailbait' under his breath, and he kicked him in the back of the leg as descretely as he could.

"Bryan?" She asked as she stared at him in shock. Then her features turned into a dark scowl. "And where have you been!" Lavander eyes widened as he stared at the girl who was marching towards him. "You realize your nephew hasn't been to one physical therapy appointment in the past year!" At that, Kiril groaned and ducked slightly behind Tala. He did not want anything to do with that nurse.

Bryan sputtered, hardly believing that he was on the fire now that Ivan was out of it. Craig was occupying Ivan at the moment though, so he couldn't even redirect it to him. He wasn't even paying attention!

"If you're going to yell at me about him, why don't you yell at him? He's right there!" Bryan scowled as he pointed towards the frantically praying-to-be-invisible-teenager. She turned her head and glared at the bronze haired boy who cursed under his breath. Apparently Bryan's iron clad loyalty didn't hold out for the younger generation like it did with the older one. He was more then willing to rat them out.

"Kiril Ivanov, where have you been?" Adrien glanced up from where he'd been hugging Adeline to frown at the woman. She glanced at him. "Hello Adrien."

"Hello Ariana." He replied lightly. Then she was back to Kiril again.

"You had physical therapy appointments for a reason young man!" He groaned as she stalked towards him. Tala sighed and figured he'd give the kid a break. He stood up and looked at the woman with a pointed gaze.

"While I agree with you that he shouldn't have missed his appointments, now is hardly the right time to be shouting. In case you haven't noticed – there are people here concerned with the welfare of their loved ones and you're not showing them the respect they deserve by the medical field at this time." She recoiled at his words, eyes wide.

"And just who are you?" She asked stubbornly (though she did raise her voice).

"My dad." Kiril piped up. Bryan snorted. He could only imagine what she'd have to say about that.

"Oh, his dad hm? And where were you during the six months he was in the hospital?" She hissed, eyes flashing with distaste. He looked at her good naturedly enough. After all, he was above taking the bait.

"I was in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, after being captured on a mission for the ISA. I was a POW until just a few months ago, and while I do regret not being here when he was hospitalized, I was busy being tortured by religious extremists who wanted me to give them the information on how to access the military database and launch codes for all the nuclear weapons around the world. I've apologized for being incapable of arriving in a timely fashion, but I was otherwise occupied!" Ariana could only blink. Her mouth dropped open as she searched his face for any hint of deceit. Apparently he was telling the truth, and damn was it hard arguing with an excuse like that.

"Well..." He arched an eyebrow at her fumbling words. _Go on..._ He teased her in his head. _What do you have to dish out this time? _"Don't let it happen again!" He nodded and mock saluted her.

"Ma'am yes, ma'am. Now – what is it that got you in a tizzie in the first place?" He asked as he glanced towards Ivan. Ah, there was a small bruise around his throat. That made him feel a bit better. At some point Kai had his hands around it. Probably explained how the midget got high enough to get the man in the first place.

"Mr. Papov is signing out AMA and he needs to stay here for observation. If he acquires fluid in his lungs from his rib injury then he could very well contract ARDS!" Tala glanced towards Ivan who was scowling at the nurse.

"How hard did he hit you?" He asked seriously. Ivan was shaking his head though.

"The kick to the ribs was more of a way to distract me then anything else. If I start coughing or have trouble breathing I'll come back." His voice was quiet, and he wasn't meeting anyone's eyes. He was guilty. He felt guilty. Tala sighed. Seems like Ivan didn't know his own strength. "Besides I don't even feel it-"

"Well you should. Your arm is broken in four places, and you're in shock." Ariana griped, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm not in shock." Burgundy eyes glared harshly at the girl, Ivan's free hand squeezing into a fist. She pointed at his hand.

"Four of your joints in those fingers are heavily inflamed. You shouldn't be able to do that without hurting a bit." Tala placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to keep her back. He sincerely hoped Bryan didn't have any bright ideas with this girl, she'd have him strapped to a whipping post faster then he could blink! Still from that doe eyed look and Spencer's comment of calling her jail-bait somehow Tala had a feeling they'd be seeing more of Ariana Chekova in the future.

"Madam, please, I can promise we'll take good care of Ian. Even if he is in shock, there's nothing that can be done now. We'll keep him hydrated and watch him for a bit. I have a feeling things will right themselves in a few hours anyway. Now, I don't suppose you could tell us about Kai, hmm?" She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry, I'm not his nurse. I don't know anything about what's going on with him. I can go check." The redhead motioned for her to do so, and then sighed heavily. Adrien was sitting down besides Adeline, his eyes filled with worry, and Kiril had started whispering to him about something to cheer him up somewhat.

Anna couldn't help it. She felt more then a little useless right now. Closing her eyes she tried to figure out if there was anything she could do. She couldn't think of anything. In fact, all she could think of was how badly their luck sucked. Couldn't they just get a break? Please?

It was going to be a long while before they heard anything though. Bryan and Spencer took their seats across from Adeline and the boys. Ivan and Craig sat by the corner and the rest of them were in various forms of pacing. Tala resigned himself after forty minutes of wearing a hole in the floor to just lean against a wall and close his eyes.

Logically, he knew full well that Kai was alright. Or at least he was going to be alright. Dranzer wasn't going to let him die. The bird wasn't like that, and so he knew Kai would be at least _alive_. The state in which he was, despite living, was the real concern.

Tala ran through a list of things in his head. What could the damages be? Ivan wasn't talking. He was keeping his mouth pleasantly closed and that was that. So he was left to imagine the damages.

Throat injuries:

Larynx fracture.

Larynx tear.

Tracheal fracture.

Tracheal contusions.

Tracheal rupture.

THIS WASN'T HELPING.

Adrien stood up suddenly and started to walk towards the door. The others watched him go. He mumbled something about taking a walk, and needing some fresh air. Apparently his mental inventory was a bit more graphic and had a bit more colors and blood in it then Tala's had. He was pale faced and looking peakish.

Great. Just great.

* * *

Craig was a rather vocal young boy who seemed to think that everyone around him was beneath him. He idolized Ivan, and for some reason or other had decided that everyone that Ivan spent time with wasn't giving him enough respect. He was rude to anyone who wanted to talk to him, and Ivan seemed to be making little to no effort to correct the annoying behaviour.

In short: everyone wanted to kill him. Especially because he was insistent on the fact that Ivan was innocent in all of this and that Kai had started the fight and that it was all his fault. If anything, it seemed like Ivan was indulging the boy.

The only thing that saved Craig from getting beaten to the ground by Adrien was the fact that he eventually just left the hospital and started walking around by himself. The others weren't entirely sure they would have stopped Adrien from murdering the brat if it had come to it, and so it was highly helpful in liu of the outsider's health that the brunette left.

_Kai Hiwatari isn't going to die._ Vita had told him easily enough. He'd ignored her at first and carried on his merry way. He was still mad at her. She had purposefully tried to keep him unconscious so he couldn't help Kiril. Her excuse was that the strain could very well kill him if he tried to hard, but that wasn't good enough for the brunette. He wanted Kiril to be alright, and she'd purposefully kept him from being able to complete that goal.

_Talk to me Adrien_. She whispered in his ear, and he ignored it once more. He was throwing a hissy fit, and he didn't particularly care at the moment.

As he walked, he passed by a news stand, and something caught his eye. The word 'Bitbeast' was written in big bold letters across the top of a news paper. Fishing some coins from his pocket it shoved it at the man holding the paper and snatched it from his gloveless hands.

_**The Bit Beast Phenomenon**_

_Over the past decade, more and more reports have been accumulating around the world about strange creatures known as 'bitbeasts.' These bitbeasts have been found predominately in the popular sport of beyblading. Large creatures with the ability to shoot fire balls, freeze an entire arena, or even create tornado large enough to take roofs off buildings are only _some _of the monsters reported._

_Scientists Jorge Ortega and Carolina Lupè have been studying bitbeasts over the past few years, and their research has been astounding. It started off with a heavy work load that investigated the world of beyblading. What they found was quite astonishing, even though the sport of beyblading is the only sport that allows bitbeasts to be used, it is not the only setting their powers have been seen._

_Bitbeasts themselves choose who will use them. Currently it seems that only beybladers have been called to use them. It appears as though these creatures choose their 'masters' based on choice blood traits that have been found in the DNA. Only DNA compatible persons have the ability to use a bitbeast._

_That's not all though, these monsters are not just helping their 'masters' win a few rounds of beyblading. These monsters are causing their victims to go through changes in their bodies. One example of this would be in the seventh annual beyblading World Championships – thirteen years ago._

_Tala Ivanov, the three time World Champion of the sport during this instance, froze the entire area around the beyblading dish, encasing both him and competitor Tyson Granger inside. While Granger showed clear signs of being frost bitten and cold during the event, Ivanov was completely unharmed. A thermal reading was recorded during the Championships, and it was found that the temperature in that ice prison was negative twenty degrees celsius._

_Next, Emily York from the All Starz has the bitbeast Trygator. It has been documented that she herself has the ability to breathe underwater. This became increasingly obvious when reports flooded in from all over the world only two years ago of the tennis themed beyblader rescuing several children from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico after their boat capsized._

_Ortega has even found that various fire element bitbeasts have caused their owners to be immune to fire. Kai Hiwatari is the most notable of all of these many can recall how his own bitbeast Black Dranzer caused him to go insane thirteen years ago during the same World Championships Tala Ivanov faced Tyson. Fire surrounded the, then, sixteen year old beyblader._

_Hiwatari is perhaps the most worrisome of all these stories. As the heir to the illustrious Hiwatari Enterprises, his mental stability has been called into question. Supposedly he was working for the International Security Agency in order to arrest Boris Balkov, but there has been no concrete evidence to support this claim._

_Since Black Dranzer has been destroyed there have been no signs of mental stress on the multi-billion dollar heir. In an interview with Ortega, he addressed the Hiwatari case in great detail. "I've been most concerned with how Black Dranzer took over this young man's mind." Ortega said. "Before this incident, Kai was reported to be a very kind and caring young man. The ruthlessness displayed during the World Championships has been quoted to be the most drastic change of character that any of his friends had ever seen. If bitbeasts can control the mind of whoever it is that uses them, then perhaps we are dealing with a far more dangerous entity then many understand. Much like a possession, these bitbeasts could control their host and make them do whatever they wanted them to do. What's to stop these creatures from using their powers to break into a bank?A home? Or use their powers to kill innocent people?"_

_Later on, Ortega explained that he went out to see just how much these bitbeasts controlled their so called 'owners.'_

_"We were horrified to discover that some of these hosts have started to display physical changes in their bodies. They claimed to have been completely accepting to the change, but what about the case of Emily York? Her lungs displayed a complete mutation that allowed her to breathe underwater. Her body had physically been altered drastically to accomodate the bitbeast she wielded._

_"Other children have been examined by our research team as well. One boy was capable of shooting sparks out of his fingertips. His bitbeast was an electrical monster that used lightening to attack in the beystadium. He was only ten years old and yet his body now can contract high currents of electricity and he can even send off sparks. This is highly irregular and no ten year old is mentally capable of understanding and accepting such a life changing condition._

_"Thankfully, we have discovered that if the host displays that he or she no longer wishes to wield these bitbeasts the mutations will reverse themselves. At this time we do not know how it is the bitbeasts are controlling these mutations, but I strongly urge any and all bitbeast owners to stop using them immediately._

_"These creatures are not your friends, they are parasites that are controlling you. If you reject them, they cannot continue to change your bodies. I strongly urge you all to make the rational decision here. If you do not then who knows what the next phase of this mutation may be."_

_As Ortega's research continues, more reports will follow. All that can be said for certain is that these monsters – bitbeasts – should be taken out of the hands of the children that they are mutating. They are dangerous and serious side effects could come out of this._

Adrien finished reading the article with a bad taste in his mouth. He could hardly believe that there were those out there who actually thought that this rubbish was true. He half wanted to call up the redheaded tennis player, just to see if she really did have a mutation. He doubted that she did. He'd noticed it with Kai and the others.

When he used Vita he could understand what it was like. It wasn't...him doing it necessarily. It was all her. Yet her power had transferred over unto him. He could feel her strength coursing through his veins. It was a blessing almost, and it was comforting. The only reason that he refrained from doing it on a day to day basis was because it drained him. He couldn't bring someone fully back from the dead without side-effects so he refrained from that as well.

As for keeping things alive, he'd not told anyone – but he had dabbled lightly into that. He found an almost healing ability in it the more he tried it. It had started with a young bird that had flown into his bedroom window.

It had broken its wing and it was struggling to keep itself together. Adrien had gone out and had focused on keeping the bird still. It didn't take long to realize that even though it wasn't going to die, he could keep it still if he concentrated long enough and the bone in the bird's wing was starting to mend a bit faster.

After an hour or so he'd been too exhausted to actually mend the wing, but he kept it in a cage he'd found and whenever he could focus on it completely he'd try again. After two weeks he finally managed to get the wing to heal. The strain making him pass out for several hours.

Vita explained that the bird would eventually have died if its wing had been left the way it was. Because of that he was doing essentially what he had done for Kiril. He'd forced the bird to stop dying. She went on to say that the more you used the powers of the bitbeast the more at tune you were with them.

He'd asked why he didn't see Kai running around throwing fireballs at things, and she just told him simply that it was because Kai didn't use Dranzer's powers all that often. Why would he need to? He was a very self assured person who did things with his own powers. He didn't need to use Dranzer's.

The more the teen thought about his dad, the more he realized that he should be heading back. Sighing slightly he turned around and started to head towards the hospital. He was halfway there when someone caught his arm. He looked up and stared at the hispanic looking man that was looking at him with a slight smile on his face.

"You read it?" The man asked curiously.

"Excuse me?" The teenager questioned as he pulled his arm out of his hold. He didn't want anything to do with this creep whoever he was.

"That article, you read it?" Green eyes glanced down at the paper that he had in his hand. He frowned heavily before looking up at him.

"Yes."

"What'd you think of it?" The boy took a hesitant step backwards.

"I think it's full of shit." He said bluntly. The man's eyes narrowed.

"You have one, don't you?" Suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, the teenager shrugged noncommitedly.

"I don't beyblade." He replied honestly. He had no interest in beyblading as a career. He'd been honest when he'd spoken to his father about that. He enjoyed playing it as a hobby, but as a professional – not really.

"It doesn't matter. They're-"

"Adrien!" Letting out a breath of relief the younger teen turned and looked at his best friend heading towards him. "Uncle Kai's awake." Suddenly flooded with the need to desperately see the man, the brunette nodded and started towards Kiril eagerly. He didn't get far. The man from before grabbed his arm and tugged him backwards. Kiril glowered at the sight and started towards them at a much faster pace.

"Kai Hiwatari?" The man asked seriously. He looked feral. Adrien scowled and pulled his arm roughly out of the man's hold.

"Grab me again and you'll find yourself flat on your back." He hissed honestly. He didn't appreciate the man getting so close to him. He started towards Kiril once more, but the collar of his jacket was tugged from behind and he was spun about sharply. Reacting on instinct he lashed out at the same time. The man caught his hands and stuffed the kick long enough to slam him up against the building closest to them. He didn't see Kiril though, and that was his undoing.

Infuriated at seeing his friend being manhandled, the bronze haired teen drew back and punched out as hard as he possibly could. A broken nose would be the least of that bastard's worries if he kept it up too. The man fell to the ground, gasping as blood flooded down his face. The older teen looked at his friend in concern.

"You alright?"

"I'm good." He answered honestly. One of his hands was rubbing his neck where it'd been wrenched on.

The man was pushing himself back to his feet, covering his nose with his hand. The teenagers glared at him, as though daring him to keep it up.

"I jus wante ta blow if it was Kai Bwiwatali." The man said passed the broken nose and the blood seeping into his mouth.

"Fuck you man. Why would it matter?" Adrien snapped, glaring at him.

"Ima friend of his." He replied, sraightening his nose the best he could.

"No your not." The teens said at the same time. "We know all his friends."

"So it is Bwiwatari?" He asked as he got closer. Kiril shoved Adrien back towards the hospital a bit; getting in front of him.

"Look man, I just broke your nose. I'll be happy to do more if that's what you'd like. I think it'd be best if you just walked away." He said evenly. He had no idea what was going on or who this creep was, but he didn't want him anywhere near Adrien; or Kai for that matter.

"And blu are blu essasstly?"

"Kiril Ivanov-"

"Kiril don't!" Brown eyes glanced back at Adrien who was staring at him in horror. He frowned slightly.

"What?" He asked in confusion.

"Ibanob?" The man asked, suddenly serious. "Blike Bala Ibanob?"

"He's my dad." Kiril affirmed in confusion, not understanding where this was going.

"Kiril, stop talking." Adrien hissed, grabbing his friend's arm. "Let's just go."

"A bittle old ta be is son no?" The stranger was getting closer. Kiril frowned, not understanding what was going on in the slightest.

"I'm his brother, he adopted me years ago, what does any of this have to do with you?" Adrien tugged on his friend's arm one last time.

"We're leaving." He growled, forcing the other to hurry out of the man's arm distance. The stranger just watched them go. He didn't take his eyes off them even once as they hurried away. A car pulled up beside him just before they were completely out of sight. He glanced at it briefly and nodded slightly before reaching out and opening up the passenger side door.

"Jorge! What happened to your face?" The woman inside asked in stunned shock as she looked at him.

"Got bunched by a brat bitbeast kid." He said simply, he motioned forwards. "Dey're headin' towards da hospital. Kai's dere." She nodded once and then started to drive towards the building in question.


	37. The News

**Windstar: **Dear Readers: I am so humbly sorry about the abysmally long delay in this update. My laptop was over run with a virus that wouldn't let me go online, and then it kept shutting down every time I tried to use it. Because of that, I couldn't even get some form of update up. I managed to save my files before it went under, but then the hard-drive crashed. It's been sitting in Best Buy since memorial day, and it still isn't finished. I just recently bought myself a new laptop and finally managed to put my files onto it. This is the second to last chapter of this story - and it would have been the last chapter however I broke it up into two parts.

I have been working on OHC, that does actually seem like a possible story after all of this time. It wont be out for a while though, I have a promise to work on one of my digimon fics and I need to focus on that one for a little bit.

Thank you for all of your time and waiting so long for this. I apologize again for the delay, and without further ado: the second to last chapter of this series.

**Disclaimer: **See chapter one.

**Chapter Thirty-Six: **

"What the hell was all that about?" Kiril hissed as they entered the hospital. Adrien bit his lip and shook his head.

"I don't know. I don't know who he was, but he wanted to know if we had bitbeasts." The boy frowned, not understanding.

"Why would he want to know about that?" He asked in confusion.

"I'll explain later okay?" The brunette was looking around anxiously for some sign of where to go. He just caught sight of Spencer at the end of the hall, and started towards him. He wanted to see his dad, know that he was alright and then just get this whole horrible day over with. He was mentally exhausted and he didn't have the capacity to do much more then that.

Kiril nodded slowly, he didn't believe him for the life of him, but at the same time he understood. This was going to take too long and they had more important things to do right now...like seeing Kai. The blonde caught sight of them, and motioned towards them. His blue eyes were locked on them impassively.

"How's my dad?" Adrien asked quickly as they approached the man. Spencer cracked a small grin.

"He's hanging in there. Doc says he'll be fine in a few weeks. His voice'll probably be a bit deeper then usual, but other then that there won't be any lasting damage. He's busted up pretty good though and'll be taking it slow for a while." He touched the brunette's hair worriedly. "You alright? You stormed outta here pretty good and the both of you are pale. What's going on?" The teenager sighed slightly. Why couldn't everyone just drop this long enough so he could see his father hmm? Why was it everyone wanted to keep hounding him all the time?

He shrugged slightly and pushed the article he'd been reading into Spencer's hands. Then he wriggled away from his touch and started down the hall. It wasn't too hard to track down Kai's hospital bed, Bryan's lady friend was telling the crowd of visitors that they couldn't all go in at once. That might have been okay to a normal family, but this particular one wasn't going for it. Almost everyone was scowling and hissing with hackles raised at her.

Ariana wasn't backing down though and she was all but acting as sentry to the door and refusing to let anyone in. Well – almost anyone. Years of practice with the kicked puppy look had given him a unique way with women. Most specifically: he tended to get them to do what he wanted rather easily. Then again, he realized quite well enough that he didn't have to do anything. Bryan was instigating her just enough to have her take a threatening step forwards, and it was a cake walk from there. Being thin and tiny helped him slip passed her security with no problem.

He wasn't all too surprised to see Adeline sitting besides her husband. Tala was outside arguing with the rest of them. Apparently the others had already declared that Adeline had first dibs, but that didn't mean that everyone else was happy about it. The teenager moved closer to his adoptive father, and red eyes blearily turned to look at him.

Oh yeah, he was drugged all right. From the looks of the machines to the left and right of him: he was drugged _high _on the good stuff. There were bandages around his throat, and he had a leg up in a sling. Bandages were wrapped around his chest and he was blinking slowly at everything around him. He looked like he was completely out of it.

"Daddy?" He whispered as he sat on the bed and leaned towards the man. A cracked smile made him realize the former Champion wasn't nearly as out of it as he originally had though.

"Hey Junior." He mouthed, a breathy whisper being all he really got out as a voice. The teen looked at Adeline in alarm, but she just shook her head.

"The doctor said it'd be like that for a while, his vocal chords are severely inflamed...a one way trip to dysphonia as it were." She explained softly as she tucked a strand of loose hair behind his ear. Kai's eyes were narrowed slightly, and he shakily reached out a hand to touch his son's face.

He struggled to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. Frustration flashed on his features, and he grimaced as he fought to get at least _some _words out. His struggles seemed to have caught the attention of Ariana though, because she poked her head in and was scowling the whole while later as she caught sight of the teenager sitting by Kai's bed.

"And just what are _you_ doing in here? Only one person visiting allowed!" Now that her vigil had been thwarted though, she couldn't quite keep out the rush of other people that were now storming their way into the room. Tala ruffled the brunette's hair lightly before taking a good look at the heir.

"Ian roughed you up, huh little brother?" Kai rolled his eyes, and he mouthed a few choice words. He caught Tala by the wrist though and looked towards Adrien meaningfully. The brunette couldn't help but scowl. Was he really that transparent? Everyone just couldn't seem to just drop it.

The redhead glanced towards the brunette and winked before looking at the younger man. Kai was dizzily staring at the exchange in confusion, his brain not following the subtle clues as well. He simply wanted Tala to keep Adrien out of any trouble while he was incapacitated. Mikhail would probably take the boy under his wing, but until he showed up then Kai wanted someone to at least have an eye out for him.

But damn if that boy didn't look so guilty. He couldn't keep up with it. He was still trying to figure out what was going on, but that nurse was arguing with everyone and it was distracting. Whatever it was he was certain that someone would be able to take care of it. A button to his right caught his attention and he couldn't help but smile goofily and press it.

A rush of drugs flooded his system and he couldn't help but sigh as the pressure behind his eyes started to go down. He felt relief easily enough, and even though he wasn't following very well with what was going on around him – he was quite content to just let them have at it.

"Is he high?" Bryan muttered as he looked at Spencer. The blonde had just walked in, grim faced and serious. He shrugged slightly before pressing Adrien's article into the younger man's hands and shortly announced that they really should not have as much people in the room. Everyone glanced at him in confusion, not understanding where this new attitude was coming from.

"We can come back in the morning, right now I think we all need a break. Addy, you stay here with Superman. We'll make sure that the twins are all settled in for the night." He continued, tugging Craig's arm as the annoying boy hissed that he hadn't gotten a good look at his brother's attacker yet. Ivan though seemed to have picked up on whatever warning the blonde was saying. He called Craig back to him, and motioned for him to wait outside.

Tala was watching the oldest Officer bark orders with surprising ease, and while he never really deflected to him to take command – he couldn't help but feel as though he should listen. There was a reason Spencer was ignoring his current station and was ordering them around like dogs. He'd play along for now, especially because _damn _did Adrien's face get pale all of a sudden. Kiril was looking rather guilty on it as well, and he couldn't help but wonder just what they were hiding this time.

Fishing for information was the best bet at the moment, but if it was something of grave importance then Tala didn't want Kai's fuzzy brain to pick up on anything. Chances were the heir would pick up on all the wrong signals and be worried for the rest of the time he was awake.

"Dri, why don't you stay here with Addy-" He tried, but the blonde was shaking his head.

"No, Adrien and Kiril you're coming home with us. Only one person's allowed to visit at a time and I don't want you going off and getting yourselves in trouble." The boys glowered at the blonde. They looked at Tala expectantly, but the redhead wasn't budging. If Spencer wanted everyone back at the school, that that was exactly what he was going to get.

Luka trusted the blonde with his life, and more importantly the lives of his family. He'd trust him to make the right call on whatever decision was running through his head. He lightly tugged the teenagers' arms and motioned for them to go outside. The both of them shook their heads.

"No, we're not leaving." Kai looked at the friends with a hazy gaze. Not fully understanding just what was going on. He couldn't work out exactly what was that was going on, but he was starting to understand that there was a problem here. He struggled to push himself up, intending to stop whatever danger was affecting his family. He didn't particularly care that he was pulling at his damaged ribs. He just wanted whatever it was that was making everyone leave to just _go away_. Only...he didn't want _them _to go away. No...he just...wait...what was going on again?

Tala glanced at his brother for a moment, his eyes narrowed as he looked at him. This wasn't good. Adrien slipped his hand into his father's and gave his Uncles a pointed look. He wasn't going to be leaving any time soon. For a long while, Tala couldn't help but stare at the teenager. He actually thought he saw a bit of Kiril in that pointed look. Or at least – Kiril's darker half that had all but vanished over the past few months.

Adrien knew full well all he had to do was look sad and pathetic and Kai would push himself to see to it that the boy was alright. That seemed oddly familiar. It almost seemed exactly like how Kiril would get Adrien do do things for him. Fury coursed through Tala's veins as he thought about how the teenager was using it to his advantage. He never thought that the boy had it in him.

"Then let's step outside for a moment." Tala said simply as he looked at the boys. Bryan nodded suddenly. Apparently he was done skimming the article. There were lots that needed to be talked about. "Kai, sit tight, we'll be right back. Adeline – keep him out of trouble will ya?" The princess nodded vaguely, not quite understanding what was going on either. "We're going to have a little talk and then we're going to decide what to do k?" He looked at the teenagers and they sighed – nodding.

It seemed there was no way out of this one.

Ariana was nice enough to give them a room that they could all talk in, and while some may have called it gracious- it was clear that she just wanted them to get out of Kai's room so he could get some rest. It didn't matter though. Within a few short minutes they had all finished reading the article and they were now looking at the boys expectantly. They wanted to know exactly what was going on. The article was all fun and games – but why was it that they looked so worried and were refusing to leave?

"Some whacko gabbed Adrien's arm and wouldn't let him come back." Kiril explained evenly. "I had to punch him in the face just to get him to leave him alone. The whole time he kept asking if we were going to see Kai, or more specifically – Kai _Hiwatari_."

"He started off asking if I read the article though." The brunette shifted uncomfortably as he looked at the others.

"What'd he look like?" Ivan asked softly – even as Craig maintained that this wasn't their business. Bryan nodded slightly to the other. It seemed like the Earth wielder was getting himself back in the game. The shock was wearing off.

"Umm...tall, black hair. Had a goatee...dark eyes. Hispanic looking-"

"Hispanic from Spain, hispanic from Mexico, or Hispanic from South America?" Bryan asked thoughtfully as he tried to piece together just how the man presented himself. The teens hesitated. They didn't have nearly enough experience with different cultures to know the answer to that question.

"Didn't look Mexican." Kiril tried.

"What about the accent? How far away from you was he when he spoke? Was he close up? In your face almost?" Tala continued. The boys frowned. Now that he mentioned it...

"Yeah, he was always trying to get closer...way too close for comfort."

"It's a cultural thing." Bryan explained as he sighed. "Certain cultures have a different idea of how far apart you should be when you're speaking to someone.

"Chilean maybe?" Tala mused, then he sighed. "How many Chilean tourists do you get in Moscow this time of year?" Rolling his eyes he ran a hand through his hair.

"He said he was a friend of Kai's." Kiril stated as he looked at his blood brother. "Is he?"

"No, if it's who I think it is – he's not a friend of anybody we know. Jorge Ortega's research caught the eye of the ISABD a few years ago when it started. It's all well and good until someone gets hurt right? Emily York for instance. The moment after she saved that kid Ortega was all over her for months. He wouldn't leave her alone. He kept hounding her night after night until finally she called us up and asked us if we could do something about him.

"Kai happened to be in America at the time and so he flew over to see if he could talk to her and get the full story. She had just done what any of us would have done in her situation – she saved a couple of lives and thought that'd be the end of it. How as she supposed to know that all of a sudden everyone wanted to get a piece of her?

"Ortega was going so far as to show up at her house every day and harass her. Kai _kindly _told him to step off and mind his own business. There were even restraining orders made up. A week later, Emily just _happened _to be involved in a car accident and they took all the x-rays and ran all the tests and other scans that they needed to run to make sure she was A-OK. There's no way to prove that it was Ortega that caused the accident, but her files did just happen to go missing at some point." Tala sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The fact that they have all this information on her makes me think that it really was Ortega who took it – not that we hadn't thought that to begin with."

"So you're telling me that this guy is going around purposefully injuring people to get their medical records?" A sudden thought seemed to cross Tala's mind and he turned to Spencer almost instantly.

"Do me a favor and get a lock down on whatever tests they did on both Ian and Kai. I don't want a single photocopy. In fact, get them to change the names on record."

"To what?" The blonde asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sacha and Ivan Boone." He replied evenly, and with a curt nod the blonde left. Looking back at Anna he continued. "Did the Temple share their information with anyone?" He asked slowly. She frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Lists of bitbeast owners, it was one of the things that you hacked out of the BBA files. I wanted to know if that could have leaked into Ortega's grimy little fingers?" She hesitated, thinking back to the long lists of hacks that had been done over the years and just who the information was for.

"It's possible. For years we were told to stay clear of anything that might give you all a tip off as to where I was or what I was doing. Then Senior came down and told us to hack the BBA. I told him that you'd know immediately, but he gave the order anyway – insisting that it was important. Who knows what gave him the change of heart." Tala nodded, sighing slightly as he tried to think up a few reasons of his own. Right now he'd just have to go with the very real and possible fact that Ortega had a list of all those bitbeast owners. The man wasn't dangerous...just extreme, and if there was one thing the F-Fives knew first hand: extremists were some of the scariest people in the world.

"Ian, how're you feeling otherwise?" Tala asked slowly, looking at his friend.

"It's Ivan!" Craig snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. The redhead glanced at the boy with raised eyebrows.

"Kid, I've been calling him Ian before you were even a thought in your prarent's heads. So why don't you settle down and calm yourself before you give all of us headaches."

"Don't tell me what to do you creep! You're just like everyone else who gets my brother into all this trouble."

"Craig, that's enough." Ivan whispered softly. "No one's getting me into trouble. I deserved getting my arm broken. There's no need for you to be so confrontational."

"_Deserved_? You didn't deserve anything! No one deserves to get their arm broken-"

"Well no one deserves to get their throat punched out either." Adrien hissed, his eyes glowering at the boy with pure hatred. Tala sighed, putting a hand over his eyes. This was going to get them nowhere.

"Your _father _started it!" Craig shouted, taking a threatening step towards the brunette. "He made that crack about my family-"

"Yeah well if _Ian _hadn't been asking for it for the past few months then none of this would have happened in the first place!"

Craig lunged at the older teen, but Kiril stepped in front of him and drew back his fist – more then ready to punch him square in the throat and see how _he _liked it. Ivan reeled his younger brother back as hard as he could before Kiril could even get started though, and Bryan caught the bronze haired boy's fist and held it in place.

"Look, I get we're in a hospital and all, and I get you're all not best friends...but lets not give Miss. Chekova more of a reason to call security on us alright?" Bryan sighed as he looked at the two kids that were ready to duke it out.

Talk about an adjustment switch. First Kiril was getting Adrien to defend him every ten minutes, and then Kiril goes and starts defending Adrien. The air master had to admit that he liked the fact that Kiril wasn't making Adrien his slave anymore, but the boys seriously needed to get their attitudes adjusted. The both of them were driving everyone up a wall right now – especially with Craig running around telling them just what he felt about them.

"Kids...so full of energy these days." A heavily accented voice said simply as it floated into the room. All eyes glanced towards the door where Adrien and Kiril's assailant from earlier was standing before them. There was still blood on his shirt from where it had spilt over him, but in general he was in one piece. His nose had a bandage on it though.

"Ortega. Lovely article you have in the Times." Tala said meaningfully. Now that everyone in the room was familiar with the man, he didn't have to waste time with pleasantries.

"That you Tala? You've certainly grown since the last time I saw you."

"When was that? On TV? We've never met jack ass." The redhead scoffed. He glanced towards the kids. "Meet us at the car will ya? Adrien, you're in charge." The brunette frowned slightly. None of the boys moved though. "Anna, do you mind?" He asked her meaningfully, and she shook her head.

"Come on, I'll get you all something to eat." She offered as she tugged on their arms. Sensing defeat, the boys glowered and groaned, but otherwise they did as they were told and didn't make as big of a fuss as they most certainly could have.

The former Demolition Boys stared at Ortega with frowns set on their features. They didn't want anything to do with the man. He was sleazy and just plain creepy, and they didn't like him one bit for it. Ian never thought that he'd hate the fact that he'd gotten into that fight more then he already did, but right now he seriously wanted to just bash this man's face in. Especially when he saw the man running his eyes over the boys searchingly.

He caught sight of twin necklaces around Kiril and Adrien's throats, and he smirked slightly as he saw them. He just managed to snap his hand out and grab onto the golden chain that was just visible from under Kiril's shirt as the teen passed by. He gasped, breath getting torn from him as the chain strangled him slightly.

Tala was there in an instant, shoving the man backwards. Ortega wouldn't release the chain though, and the shove only made Kiril move with him. The chain was fully obvious now. Woldborg's bit chip visible for all to see. The man couldn't help but smirk as he looked at the chip.

"Seems like you passed on your _treasure _to the next generation hmm?" He looked at the redhead who now had a threatening hold on the man's throat.

"Release him or I'm going to end you right now Ortega." Tala's voice was like ice, and the man let go of the chain. Kiril stumbled back a few steps, staring at the man in confusion before looking back at his brother. "Go Kiril. I'll meet you at the car." The teenager nodded slowly, and Anna led him and the other two boys out.

"You didn't have to send the boys away. I wouldn't have done anything to them." Ortega told them all honestly.

"The hell we didn't. What are you playing at Ortega? You can't just come in here and inquire after who has what bitbeasts." Bryan snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm not playing at anything. I was just wondering how you all were doing. Is that such a bad thing? I am a fan after all." Ivan scoffed.

"A fan of your own research perhaps. You aren't _our _fan, that's for certain." Ortega glanced at him.

"How'd you break your arm, son?" He asked lightly.

"I'm not your son." The smaller man's voice was like ice. He wasn't in the least bit entertained. He'd caught the concerned look that Craig had sent them as Anna ushered them out. Many things could be said about the boy, but he wasn't stupid. He could pick up on social cues easily – and from the look he'd thrown him earlier, Craig didn't think highly of Ortego.

"Yes...still. It looks like that hurt."

"It doesn't."

"Your _bitbeast_ is blocking out the pain?" The man asked excitedly. Ivan scowled.

"No, that's what they have _pain killers _for. You know...vicodin." Ortego smiled politely, as though indulging a small child.

"Of course." He said easily enough. He caught the quick and cold snap of attention that Tala's blue eyes held as they flashed to the side behind him. He peered over his shoulder and ran his eyes all the way up the tall and imposing blonde that was towering in the doorway. The last member of the former Demolition Boys.

No longer boys, these four men were some of the most powerful in the world. He knew that before he'd even entered the hospital. Tala was in charge of Moskva's ISA branch as well as balancing his duties with the BBA. Both associations were whole heartedly standing in his way to find more research on the bitbeast mutations that had been occurring. In short: Tala was his greatest problem at the moment.

Then there was Bryan Kutznetsov. The imposing blader ran that God-forsaken school of beybladers that all had streamed from the Abbey. By now most of those kids should have grown up and moved on with their lives, but apparently there were some that had stayed behind had had been living at the so called school. Now it was just a home for those bladers. He could only imagine how many bitbeasts were hidden behind those walls. This man trained each and every one of them.

Spencer too was in charge of keeping that institution of freaks running. He was the one who built the new security system in the dorms (apartments really)...or so they say. The blonde was in constant communication with those kids and he was a key leader in their numbers. Not to mention a up and coming researcher. Even while doing missions with the ISA, Brevda had found the time to put himself through college and was a top of the line go-to person in the marine biology field of study. He seemed to be able to find any bit of information, no matter how insignificant. A right old Sherlock Homes in disguise.

Ian Papov was another meddling aspect. He kept out of the school's running and he wasn't involved heavily with the ISA, but that didn't stop him from knowing all the information both parties had to offer. He was an expert sniper and despite his small size was not someone that should be taken lightly. He was more then willing and capable to defend his friends and family if he so had to.

Which only left, perhaps, the most influential member of their rag-tag army. Where oh where was precious Kai Hiwatari? Ortega couldn't help but crack a smile. Somewhere in the hospital that was for certain. The man had just woken up, or so said that mouthy little brat with a bitbeast. He'd learned long ago from his sources that wherever one of these numbers went – another surely followed. If all four were here...then Kai was as well.

Still, he knew better then to play his cards now. He'd gotten the information he needed. Wolborg was no longer in Tala's possession. He was Tala's heir...and if this Adrien considered Kai his father – then logically he'd be the one to be holding onto Dranzer for the man. He wouldn't act now. That would be too suspicious. No, he'd let this play out a bit. He'd wait until everything was settled and the attention was no longer on him.

Like a wolf in sheep's clothing...like a snake in the grass...he'd wait.

"Well gentlemen, I can see that I am quite frankly out numbered. I admit defeat to whatever you think this is." Tala took a step forwards, and he couldn't help but take a step back. Bitbeast or not, this man was dangerous. He did not want to feel just how hard _he _could hit when his heir clearly was capable of breaking a few bones.

"You will not go near my kids again." He raised an eyebrow. "And by my kids." he paused just long enough for Spencer to grab Ortega's arms and pin them at his side. The man hissed, glowering back behind him. "I mean any and all of the F-Fives. Me entiendes, _hijo de puta_?" His voice was low and dangerous, and Ortega couldn't help but feel the rush of his blood pounding in his ears. The dangerous prey were the best kind. A part of him almost begrudged the redhead for moving on and delivering his bitbeast to his progeny. Kiril wasn't nearly as formidable as this one.

"Yo entiendo, signore." The man replied slowly. The worst part of all of this was the sudden switch to his native tongue. Now it wasn't even the Captain's language that he was speaking in, it was a command issued in Spanish and it was meant as the slight that it came out as. Ortega didn't know whether to feel chastised, contrite, or just plain furious that the other had sunk as low as that to get his attention. That and the curse that was thrown in his face just boiled his blood.

Oh yes. He was _very _disheartened that Tala no longer had Wolborg.

* * *

Kai stayed at the hospital for three more days. He was high most of the time, the drugs in his system making it hard to talk to him and even harder to understand him. He seemed perfectly content and happy to point out all the small details that one just never said. For instance. He caught on to the way that Anna and his brother reconciled despite the haze in his mind, and he was a monster to deal with ever since.

He made every sex joke he could think of. He was brash and brazen and he seemed to be incapable of keeping his overly juveneille mouth closed! He was speaking on such a whim that he had Adeline in a perpetual blush twenty-four-seven. The woman had never heard her husband speak in such an uncouth way and her mind was spinning as he went on and on with his rather inappropriate comments.

Bryan just sniggered and patted her hand lightly. "You didn't think he was a right little princeling when you weren't in the room did you, love?" He teased. The woman snapped her jaw closed, gave him a scathing look, and upturned her nose. She, apparently, was _above _biting back. It only caused the man to hoot with laughter though, and Kai let loose another slurred response about someone's gonads.

Craig had commented on more then one occasion that if he was getting that bad, they should simply remove him from his pain killers and let them all live in peace. That thought was quickly thwarted though, everyone glowered at him with eyes that clearly said – do so and die. The boy grumbled about the unfairness of the whole situation, but they didn't care. He could ignore Kai if he wanted too, and he didn't have to insist on coming with them to visit.

They were quickly learning though, that that was simply the boy's way. He was contrary to all things, but he went along with them anyway. He said one thing but did another. In short: he was a rebellious preteen that would eventually sort out all his self supposed angst and use it in a more forthright manner. If ragging on Kai made him at least somewhat happy, then at least it kept him out of their hair for the rest of the day.

Ivan had decided to stay at the school for a bit longer, citing that since Craig was already there, there was no need for him to truly leave. The others just shrugged and told him to do what he may. Craig complained loudly about it, but the older brother was strict. He said that there was no need to head back so soon since everyone else was all taken care of. Their mother and sister were more then capable of being by themselves, but if Craig truly wanted to head home – he was more then welcome to do so...alone.

Needless to say, Craig was even more obnoxious after that. He stalked through the halls of the school and hissed and spat like a cat. The F-Fives were more then a little fed up with him, and finally they started to pick back. They didn't know who he was or even care who he was when they found out. He was being a brat, and they intended to see to it that he understood just where he belonged on the totem pole.

The fight that broke out was expected of course. What wasn't expected was Kiril and Adrien getting involved and saying that if anyone was going to beat the shit out of Craig Papov – it was going to be them. Needless to say, the boy hated them even more after that. He shouted that he didn't need to be saved and that they could take their pity elsewhere.

The next time there was an uprising – the teenagers kindly stepped aside, and let their fellow 'brothers' give the boy a black eye and a busted lip. Ivan was not amused. The age old friends just shrugged and said they did the best they could. They weren't doctors, and even they couldn't cure stupidity. Only a few hours later Kiril and Adrien were both grounded and were glaring at Craig with more hatred in their hearts then anything else in the world. One of these days...he was going _down._

Anna and Luka found themselves spending more and more time together. Despite the constant teasing they got, they were practically glued at the hips. Michaels was certainly happy for it. Looking at the two bickering every day was starting to grate on the old Commander's nerves. He was quite content now just rocking back and forth on a glider that was situated on the front porch of one of the dorms and watching the days go by.

Bryan sat next to him occasion, just talking to the man he never got to knew as a father. Usually the talkative young man was seen with Mikhail, but he seemed to spend a large amount of time trying to talk to Michaels as well. He enjoyed the company of the man, even though he was terribly awkward about it to start off.

"Tell me about your life." The man kept asking. He wanted to know what he'd missed out on. Clearly he'd missed watching the teenager turn into the bear of a commander he was today, but he had seen that Bryan had managed to keep himself happy and healthy for the most part. It made him glad. At least some things never changed. Bryan's penchant for staying alive despite the worst of crimes done to him was one of the best traits he ever had.

"I don't know, my life's not nearly as interesting as Kai and Tala's." Bryan shrugged each time. "It seems that their lives have been filled with chaos and mayhem. Much more interesting to hear about then mine."

"Why is it that you still call them Kai and Tala? You'd think you'd call them by their real names by now." Michaels mused as he rocked on in interest. Bryan glanced at him in confusion.

"Hmm...I guess we call them that because we're used to it. Luka slips up every once and a while and calls Kai 'Sacha.' I guess...Sacha really did die all those years ago. Kai's always just been Kai to us. Addy calls him Sacha, but I feel like Kai just lets her do it. And we do call Tala 'Luka' occasionally. Kai more then the rest of us." Michaels just nodded.

"Did Spencer...ever go to school?" He asked suddenly. The lilac haired man turned to him in surprise.

"Yeah. He works for the ISA part time really. He works in this fish club thing. They study the water and all their aqua friends basically. He's pretty smart. Teaches here a lot, the science clubs love him."

"You have science clubs?" Was that skepticism? Yeah...just a bit.

"Of course. Once the geeks were free to be...geeks...they flourished. They were all 'yeah protons' 'yeah neutrons' and shit like that. Now that Anna's back I'm sure they'll be licking her boots for years to come and begging her to bestow unto them her knowledge." Michaels snickered. Somehow he could see people with that zeal. The younger man pulled a cigarette from his pocket and started to light it.

"You really should quit." He cautioned lightly.

"Bah, tried that once." Michaels arched an eyebrow.

"Did you really?"

"Yeah...after the plane crash. Luka was all freaked with fire and shit. Couldn't even see a candle without having fucking tremors. I quit because it was getting annoying trying to hide myself every time I wanted to light up. Once he chilled out some I started up again. What can I say? I'm a realist."

"You ever think about settling down?"

"What? And be a married man like Mr. Napoleon back there?" He motioned back to the house where Kai was newly positioned on the couch. He was blabbering about how Elvis was making love to a baked potato on the ceiling. The others were attempting to indulge him, but they really couldn't see it. "Nah. I mean, it'd be nice and shit, but can you imagine me with kids?" Michaels could actually. He'd seen the younger man playing with Dmitri when he was in need of a distraction from the fact his parents had gone missing.

"_Dove sono I miei genitori?" The little boy was looking up at Bryan with big blue eyes, tears sparkling in them even before the question was asked. Bryan didn't know what he was supposed to do when he looked at the kid. He couldn't very well tell the boy that they'd locked the two in a room in hopes they'd beat their love into each other. That just wouldn't be right...especially when children had such overactive imaginations. _

"_Sono andati via per un paio di giorni." He answered honestly. They really did go away for a few days, and they'd be back in one piece hopefully. He was not prepared for the rushing of tears down the child's cheeks or the incessant wailing noise to suddenly pierce the air. _

_The other F-Fives glanced over to look at their Leader's son worriedly. Then they glowered at Bryan as though it was all his fault. Let it never be said that the F-Fives were an unfeeling bunch. From the way they were glaring at Bryan, he couldn't help but feel like his very life was at stake...and he trained half of them!_

_"Cosa c'è di sbagliato?"_ What's wrong? _He couldn't figure out why the boy was wailing, but the child was starting to draw attention to himself. He patted the boy's red hair, and suddenly the _thing _had flown into his arms and was hugging him for dear life as he cried louder and louder. _

"_Sono morti non sono?" Then the young man realized exactly what was wrong. Death was a complicated thing to explain to children, and the little boy had seen much of it in his short life. The fact that his parents had vanished equated to what death must have been like for the little one. His Grandfather and his Uncle had both vanished...and both of them were dead. He'd been taken away from the only home he knew...and everyone there was dead. Now his parents were gone, and so they too must be dead! _

"_No, Pettirosso, non sono morto. Sono vivo e vegeto." Teary blue eyes looked up at the man in confusion. _

"_Pettirosso?" Bryan just laughed and tugged a strand of red hair into the boy's face. _

"_Rosso." He said simply, and then picking the boy up and spinning him about until all the tears were gone and they'd instead been replaced by giggles and laughter – he tossed the child into the air and caught him once more. "Uccello!" He threw him up again and then caught him, drawing him into a warm embrace. "Sei il mio piccolo uccello rosso, il mio Pettirosso." _You are my little red bird, my Robin.

_Dmitri giggled and shook his head, explaining that it was Jeanie who had the red bird around her neck. Bryan shrugged, saying that Jeanie didn't fly nearly as nicely or willingly as Dmitri did. He also said that Jeanie had a mother hen that would kill him if he thought about throwing her anywhere. The boy laughed and hugged Bryan closely._

_"Ya tebya lyublyu dyadyu." Bryan's breath caught. They'd been slowly working Russian into the child's vernacular for a while now, but he still preferred to speak in Italian or sparse arabic over the foreign tongue. The fact that he pronounced his love for his uncle though...that made the air master teary._

_"Ya tozhe lyublyu tebya plemyannik." He whispered back the inverser lightly._

Bryan actually had the decency to blush as he looked away from the man who adopted him. It was an embarrassing moment that had caught him off guard. None of the other children he'd lived with or raised had ever so freely pronounced their love for any one thing. They were always shady about it, and it was simply an understood fact of the matter.

Dmitri was different. He was entirely innocent in the whole happenings of the Abbey, and he was such a sweet tempered little mite that he was the apple of everyone's eyes. He made everyone love him, despite the fact that everyone attempted to hide their love for him. They all still pretended to be macho. The moment those blue eyes levelled on them though...they were beaten. They could no more deny the little boy anything then they could stop breathing.

He was their Commander's blessed child, and the F-Fives found themselves spoiling the boy rotten at times. Not that he knew he was being spoiled. He'd never seen any other children his age, so he simply assumed that's how all children were treated. Especially because Kai's twins had the same affect on people. Everyone was just flounting about the babies.

None more then Dmitri though. He practically sang them praises. At seven years old the boy had turned into quite the babysitter. The others had all joked that Adeline was lucky because she wouldn't even have to pay the earnest child. He was more then willing to do it all for free. The boy brushed and combed their hair and made sure their clothes were dainty, and watched as the adults cleaned them and changed their diapers.

He even assisted on occasion. He was more then a little excited at the prospect of children with him, and anyone could tell that he was enjoying playing with them. It didn't seem to matter that the babes were too young to even communicate properly with their young guardian, the boy didn't have any better companions then them.

He was absolutely charming.

Bryan and Michaels were just finishing up their third conversation starter, when Anna came rushing passed them at warp speed. Bryan was about to make a comment, but he didn't get very far because the woman looked green in the face and was moving so fast that she was gone before he got a good look at her. He frowned slightly, glancing back at Michaels who shrugged.

"What's that all about?" He asked anyway, confusion on his features.

"I may have spent more quality time with her in the past few years then you have, but believe me when I say I have yet to discover the inner workings of that child's mind." They both laughed and were back to reminiscing.

Anna herself was flying up a staircase near the end of the hall. One hand over her mouth as she hurried faster and faster. She almost didn't have time to turn the corner and into a bathroom before her stomach upchucked whatever it thought it was going to have for breakfast that day straight into the toilet. She'd been in such a rush though she hadn't noticed that the bathroom was currently being occupied by a slightly more than half naked Russian who yelped and dove out of the way just in time for her to puke into porcelain.

Hesitating for a long while, Mikhail Ivanov could only blink in a stupor at the woman before zipping up his pants and moving the towel he had on his head to his shoulders. He hadn't bothered to bring a shirt into the bathroom with him. He'd just been taking a shower and hadn't expected any interruptions to the routine. Still, he was a gentleman at heart, and he knelt beside the woman in concern.

Reaching up, he pulled her dark hair out of her face more efficiently then she was currently managing and he arched an eyebrow at the sight of her pale features. Immediately he tried deducing just what could be wrong with the lovely lady, and his answers came up with only a few things. After all – people didn't just start vomiting for no reason at ten thirty in the morning.

"Eat something bad last night?" He asked lightly. She glowered at him, and he shrugged. "You're the one who barged into here during my cleaning time. If you can't handle the commentary you should have chosen a different bathroom."

"No." She finally answered, sitting back on her haunches as she lifted a hand to her fevered head. Vomiting always made her feel so _hot_.

"Mmhmm..." He stood up and got a glass of water from a cup off the sink. Then he kicked the bathroom door closed with his foot. There was no need for someone to walk up the stairs and innocently see him leaning half naked over the woman on the floor. No need to get a certain redhead in a tizzy. "Catch a stomach bug?" He asked going for option number two.

"Maybe." She admitted weakly as she sipped the water and swished it around in her mouth before spitting it out like a right proper lady.

"Very dignified."

"The Princess is downstairs, _I _am the child of the mafiosos. Remember?" She teased lightly, and he smirked.

"I can see the likeness shining through." He squinted a little. "Yes...it's right there with the spittle falling from the mouth. I remember seeing that quite often as people neglected their duties." She rolled her eyes.

"Clever. Truly." Another wave of nausea overcame her and she gasped slightly – heading for the toilet. Mikhail steered clear and backed off.

"Well there is one other option." He was almost loath to admit it as the more likely scenario. When he caught the pointed look in his direction, he couldn't help but spit out his question. "My dear, could you be pregnant?" She looked up at him with horrified brown eyes, and he frowned. "Well if that's a yes, then what's wrong with that? Unless your doting little pup isn't...well...a wolf pup..." She scowled.

"If I'm pregnant..." She glared at him. "_If. _Then it _is _Luka's."

"Then what's the big problem. Your sprog down there loves kids. He'd think it was the best present you ever gave him."

"And Luka?" She whispered softly. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What about him? He likes TJ well enough doesn't he?" She looked up at him in confusion. "Tala Junior...Dmitri. He loves the kid."

"I know that."

"And he loves you."

"I know that too."

"Then why are you having this conversation with a half naked man who is _not _your dearly beloved?"

"Because this half naked man just happened to interrupt my...moment of indecency."

"Pish! You interrupted _my _moment of indecency. You're a lucky lamb. I was just finished...eh..._relieving _myself and you just had to come traipsing in here and ruin all the fun. Had you come a few minutes earlier you might have seen a show!"

"That's terrible."

"That's life." Mikhail replied easily. It had been some time since he'd bantered freely with his friend. Many, many years. They hadn't spent much time in each others company, but what few time they had spent together had made it all worth while. They were very close she and he. Very close indeed. "My son thinks I love you." He said suddenly, looking at her seriously. She didn't seem too surprised.

"Your son's a smart boy."

"I wish you all the happiness you know." He continued, leaning away from her and sitting down opposite from the woman. She nodded.

"I know that."

"And if Luka had kept being such a belligerant prick I may have just swept you off your feet and made off with you." She laughed slightly at that.

"Poor Adrien. To be adopted by Kai, friends with my and Lu's adopted son, and then I'm whisked away by his magically brought back to life father. Just where would that put him in this family tree?" She teased lightly, and he sighed.

"If he does wrong by you, he'll answer to me."

"I know that." She replied softly, meeting his gaze.

"I must confess to you that I simply cannot love you the way he does. I know this idea of a child scares you...but you really should be telling him about this and not I. I'm not the baby's daddy, and I refuse to play one for it. I'll tolerate being an Uncle, but I couldn't handle raising one of that man's children."

"Jealousy?"

"Are you mad? You're a saint for putting up with that self assured prick with his 'mighty then God' attitude. His children are going to be terrors by fourteen, just you wait and see." She was laughing heartily now and he smiled at her fondly. She reached out and touched his hand.

"You should find happiness too Mikhail." He shrugged.

"I'll find it in my own way. I always do. For now, you have news of a baby to deliver to a father who's long been denied the privalage of watching his child grow." She nodded and slowly moved to her feet.

"You're a good man Mikhail Ivanov." He smiled and kissed her cheek.

"You are too my dear sister-in-law."

"I'm not married to him yet!" She laughed, shaking her head. He rolled his eyes.

"Yet indeed. Just give it a few days, the moment he hears you're pregnant he's going to be digging through his pockets for that little ring of his that he's been holding on to for years."

"And how would you know about that, you haven't been here for years." The man looked affronted.

"Excuse me, I think I know the man better then you. I've lived with him almost my whole life!" She laughed and nodded. That he had. That he had.

Tala was sitting in his room when she'd started to try to hunt him down. He was looking over some documents that had been sent over by the ISA. He was wearing his glasses and he looked rather immersed with the information before him. She knocked once on the door before letting herself in, and he glanced up briefly to see her before smiling lightly and motioning for her to come towards him.

"Hey you." He said as he stood up and placed a kiss on her cheek. "How're you doing?"

"I'm well, and yourself?" She asked lightly, still trying to work out exactly how she was going to tell him the news.

"Fine, fine. Listen...do you want to go out to dinner with me tonight?" He asked her, his face blushing all the while. He was nervous. Charmed by his request, she nodded. It would give the perfect setting for the announcement as well.

"Sure, what kind of dinner? Fancy or plain dress?" Tala adopted that rapscallion look on his face that he usually saved for the F-Fives.

"Fancy." He lay another kiss on her cheek. "I'll pick you up around six?" She frowned. Pick her up? They lived in the same place. He was already walking her towards the door. Besides, she didn't have any fancy clothing... "Ask Adeline, she can find you something to wear I'm sure." Scowling slightly at his foresight she didn't have a chance to say anything before he'd closed the door behind her and she was staring at it in shock.

He'd just thrown her _gracefully _out of his room! She didn't even have a chance to say anything to him! Bastard! Glaring at it, she huffed and turned off. Might as well track down Adeline. There was at least ten hours between now and their dinner and she needed all the time she could get in order to find the perfect outfit.


	38. The End

**Windstar: **This is the last chapter of this story. I'll have more for you all at the end, so I wont take up too much space here. There were a few breaks in this and time does jump quite a bit in the last break. This is because I included the prologue of OHC into this as a bit of an "Epilogue" so I hope you can forgive that. I've sectioned it off so you know that a lot has changed. I figured it would be fitting to keep it in this story instead of waiting months on end for OHC to come out and then reading it then.

**Disclaimer: **I do not have any rights or ownership over beyblade. This story was made entirely free of profit and will not be receiving any profit in the future. Mikhail, Adrien, Kiril, Dmitri, Nikoli, Jeannine, Michaels, Christopher, and all other unknown characters belong to me.

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: **

Adeline nearly leapt out of her seat in excitement as she thought about all the ways she could dress Anna up. She'd thought of everything from blues to pinks to yellows to greens, and she insisted that they go out and find the right dress to buy. Adeline even said she'd pay for it. She was giddy with excitement, and with a baby on one hip and Anna's hand in the other the women went flying off into one of Kai's cars and were driving through the city of Moscow looking for the perfect store.

Dmitri and the twins were brought along because Adeline didn't just want to leave them at the school all day, and it was about time Tri started getting out and about in the city. The little redhead was more then happy to attend so long as the twins were going to be there, and he could play with them.

The boy was the glorified baby sitter as the two women went through evening gowns and shoes and stockings and the like. He didn't mind in the least and made baby babble with the twins who were giggling and laughing excitedly. The little boy was positively glowing with delight and satisfaction as he looked at the children.

A woman accidentally bumped into him as she reached for a shawl hanging where he was crouched, and he looked up at her in confusion. The woman apologized lightly, and his face broke out in a great grin. She'd apologized in spanish. He understood that!

"Prego!" He replied brightly. She hesitated and looked down at him, smiling lightly.

"Sei Italiana?" She asked lightly, and he nodded.

"Me chiamo Dmitri!" He introduced. "Si tratta di Jeanie e Niko." The woman looked at the babies, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she saw the bitbeasts around the children's necks, but she didn't say anything about them. She just smiled and nodded.

"Piacere conoscerla. Ciao bambini." She waved to them, and then was on her way. Dmitri just smiled happily and continued to play with the babies – completely ignorant to just who it was he'd so freely given their names to.

Anna and Adeline had finally tracked down the perfect dress for the evening. A light pink gown that hugged closely to her italian curves and frilled just enough around the shoulders. Two pink arm gloves that reached just past her elbows, and white high heeled shoes finished up the ensamble, and the women laughed lightly as they discussed their men's favorite colors.

"I'll never understand it, Kai and black..." Adeline mused as she rolled her eyes. "Sacha never really wanted to wear anything else." Anna giggled.

"I remember when he was all grumpy because Voltaire wanted him to wear a white shirt. He threw a hissy fit for weeks!" The two women laughed heartily before they started to go towards the cashier. The babies were being pushed in their convenient two seater carriage, and Dmitri was trotting along quite contently beside them.

"So what's with the fancy dinner anyway?" The blonde asked as she looked at her friend. Anna bit her lip and shrugged.

"I'm not sure. He just asked me to go out to dinner with him before throwing me out of his room!"

"Throwing?"She mused.

"Delicately pushing." Anna relented. "I don't know what's going on in his head."

"Maybe it'll be fun."

"I hope so..."

They got back to the house in record time, and there were still four hours left until the big date. Anna spared a side long glance at Kai who was still investigating Elvis on the ceiling. She couldn't help it. He looked so thuroughly engrossed in it, she moved over and tapped his shoulder.

"How're you feeling?" She asked lightly. He gave her a lopsided grin.

"Fine fine. How's the baby?" His hand touched her stomach and she recoiled.

"You've been talking to Mikhail." She accused, pointing a finger at him. Red eyes rolled.

"I've been talking to no one. They don't believe me about Elvis." He motioned to the ceiling. "I finally got some peace and quite."

"You're quite the little actor, jerk. We've been laughing at you at your expense and here you are totally sober." The heir shrugged lightly and looked at her.

"Meds wore off an hour ago. I couldn't get up to get more." He motioned to his leg. His voice was getting better, and while still a bit raspy it was clearer then it had been in weeks. "What's wrong with Dri?"

"Hmm?"

"Everyone's keeping him away from me and avoiding the subject."

"He and Kiril ran into Jorge Ortega. He gave the boys a bit of a scare that's all. It's been taken care of."

"Hmm...you are pregnant though right?"

"Yes Kai. Now sush, I haven't told Luka."

"He knows." The heir yawned and rolled over. "Do me a favor and get me my meds-" Anna was too busy glaring at him to hear though. The fact that everyone seemed to think that it was their business to discuss her pregnancy with her boyfriend when she hadn't told him yet was really _pissing _her off!

She was gone before he could even ask again, and the heir sighed heavily before going back to counting the chips in the paint on the ceiling. His soft voice eventually fading until he fell into a restful slumber. Pain killers be damned, he was exhausted and was more then ready to sleep.

Hours passed, but all Anna could think about was how Tala already knew. It wasn't fair. She wanted to be the one to tell him. She wanted to be the one to have that moment with him. Her mind was filled of the moments she talked about Dmitri. Her minds were filled with the hope that they could do this right the first time. Tears flooded her face, but when it turned to five o'clock she knew she had to make herself presentable.

She showered quickly, washing the tears away with water. Then she blow-dried her hair and pinned it back elegantly. A simple necklace went around her throat, and she slipped her evening gown on over her chilling body. All that was left was the make up, and once it was applied she found herself looking several times more confident then she felt.

Just as she was snapping her heels on, a knock came at the door. She hesitated for just a moment before walking to it and slowly opening it. There, before her, was a bouquet of flowers and a grinning redhead who looked just as pleased as the cat who ate the canary. She blinked in stunned silence, not quite sure what it was she was supposed to say. Thank you seemed appropriate.

"Th-thank you!" She gasped as she took the roses and smelled them. They were fresh, of course. Her eyes wandered up to see him though. Black tux with a dark purple silk shirt underneath it. He was gorgeous. His hair had been styled ever so slightly, bangs fading into the rest of his hair. It was just passed his ears in length, and it made him look far more mature then it had been when it was the ragged mess of yesterday.

"You're welcome my lady." He teased brightly. Holding out his hand he winked conspiratorially and smiled at her. "May I?" She gently placed the flowers on her vanity before nodding and taking his outstretched hand.

The two moved together, and she found the whole business a rather embarrassing affair. Several of the F-fives were cat calling from their rooms, and when they passed by Dmitri the child was awed. He whispered that they looked like angels and her face couldn't help but blush ever harder.

The only thing that could make this more incorrigible would be a limo – and when those doors opened there it was! She felt her turn the color of her date's hair and it only got worse when a silky smooth voice whispered:

"You look so beautiful when you're embarrassed." She resisted the urge to punch him in the arm (as it wouldn't be lady like), and instead just slid into the vehicle. Dmitri was waving goodbye from the door, and Tala blew him a kiss.

"Where are we going?" She asked lightly, once she was certain his attention was back to her. He was busy pulling some wine out of the limo's side compartment. The car had started up and was heading down the driveway as he poured her a glass. She accepted it with raised eyebrows. This whole affair was rather...expensive and uppity. She wasn't quite sure how she felt about it.

"The Red Square." He told her simply. Her eyes widened, mouth dropping wide open. "My dear, you're catching flies." Glowering at him she took a sip of wine.

"I know you said fancy, but truly..." She muttered. A flash of insecurity crossed the young man's face as he glanced over to her. She missed it.

"You don't...want to go?" He asked calmly, just managing to keep the hint of panic rising in his chest down.

"No, it's fine. I don't mind. I'm just surprised. I never took you for one who'd fancy the Red Square..." Kai? Yes. She could see Kai and Adeline there more often then not, and when she thought about it – it wasn't much of a question as to where the idea had come from. She glanced over to him. His seemed to be musing slightly, but when he caught her looking, he just smiled brightly.

"Who would turn down good food with a beautiful woman in a beautiful dress?" That damn blush was coming back, and she nodded faintly before telling him he looked rather good as well.

The Red Square was...well...in the Red Square. Near the Kremlin it was home to rather historical dinners. It was rather expensive, and high class. She'd been there with Voltaire and Kai when they were much _much _younger and she hadn't known how to do the math or could even read the menu. Going here again was like a blast from the past.

The building was finely decorated. Wooden floors, red curtains, and gold gilded everything made up the Red Square's décor. Dropping one plate of food was akin to over a two hundred dollars worth of merchandise, food, and otherwise. In short: you break it – you buy it.

The people who work there were paid to be extra friendly, and the atmosphere was one of high class elegance. For a computer geek who spent all her time hacking into government files and building high tech equipment...it seemed like a snobbish affair and it made her feel extremely uncomfortable.

Again: Kai and Adeline would fit in perfectly, but this was a bit much even for her. It surprised her too, because she honestly never imagined that Tala would truly want to go to a place like that. When he said fancy, she imagined something that was rather high up – but not so snobbish that she would rather go to a McDonalds then eat there.

Still, who _would _turn down good food?

They entered the restaurant and were immediately accosted by the Maitre D'. The elderly and well kept man was dressed in coattails and had white gloves. He made her head spin as she stared at him. He was smiling brightly at them and gave a small bow as he approached.

"Welcome to the Red Square, please Mr. Nikov, come this way." If the name startled him, Tala didn't show it. He was all sunny smiles and high disposition, but there was a slight tense quality to his shoulders that he was trying desperately to hide. He wanted this to go well, and he would have his way if it killed him!

He gracefully led Anna through the restaurant, following the manager until they reached their secluded and pricey table that the reservation alone meant high money. Anna couldn't help it, this seemed a bit much: even for her.

"Is Kai paying for this?" She asked innocently. She _almost _missed the scowl that had started to form before it was washed away.

"No, I'm paying for this." He told her gently. "I am an heir to HE as well you know." He looked at her for a moment, and she decided to drop it. She honestly had forgotten that he came from money too. He never flaunted it and he never spent more then his ISA paycheck allowed. That he was going so far out must mean something was up.

"Why'd they call you Nikov?" She asked in confusion, but just as he was about to tell her, their server came.

"Good evening my Lord and Lady, my name is Sergei Putinov, and it shall be my honor to serve you this evening." He paused for just a moment before looking purposefully towards the young redhead. "Would it be considered terribly inappropriate to say that it is an _especial_ honor to have you returned to us in such good health Lord Nikov?" A fond smile crept its way across the Commander's face.

"Not at all, thank you." His voice was light and even, and it was clear from his eyes that he meant it. He was undoubtedly touched by the statement.

"Is there anything that you are in need of at this time? Refreshments perhaps?" The man was flashing them with a dazzling smile, and Anna winced slightly.

"A bottle of your best wine, hmm white if you will." Tala answered calmly, looked at her to see if that was acceptable, and she nodded quickly. At once the man had excused himself with an overkill run of politeness, and was gone.

"He's angling for a good tip. Could he lay it on any thicker?" She muttered, Luka looked at her in confusion, not understanding. So she continued. "_May I flush your toilet for you sir? May I polish your shoes sir?_" She mocked lightly. The smile faded from Luka's face as she went on. He winced the more she said until eventually she stopped. It took her a while, but eventually she noticed how uncomfortable he'd gotten. "Sorry." She mumbled. He forced a smile.

"It's alright, really." Sergei had returned by now, and he showed the label to Tala who smiled politely. The cork was popped and the man carefully poured a small amount into the crystal glass before passing the wine to his guest. Luka smelled it for a brief moment before swirling it around in the glass and then delicately tasting it. The rich flavor filled his mouth and he nodded before passing it back to the waiter for more. The man acquiesced and filled the glass completely before offering the same to Anna.

"Thank you, I'm sure it's lovely." She told him before he filled her cup.

"Are you ready to order?" He asked them, and the two nodded and gave in their requests.

"My father's name is Nikoli, as you know." He told her lightly after Sergei had left. "That being said, as you so innocently told me all those years ago: its customary for people to take their father's first name as their last name. Nikov is legally and historically my last name. Ivanov was my father's last name because his father was named Ivan. I've been following western tradition up until now, taking his last name as my surname, but...I came here when I was a child. The Maitre D' knew my parents and me. To them, historically it's far more accurate to call me Luka Nikov rather then Luka Ivanov." She nodded, understanding somewhat.

"You used to come here a lot?"

"Tala Ivanov?" Flinching slightly, the redhead turned to glance over his shoulder where he was more then a little dismayed to see Cirano. After firing the man from HE he hadn't seen hide or tail of the corrupt employee. On his arms were ditzy and titzy – better known as Annabelle and Trinity. Cirano laughed heartily and made his way towards him. "Haven't seen you in ages, why don't we pull up a table and chat?" He asked even as he started to tug one of the tables closer towards the redhead and his date.

Anna watched the scene in curiosity, she didn't know who any of these people were, but she was certain that there was some history between them. Tala was positively brewing with annoyance. He didn't want anything to do with these people and it was clear from the look on his face that he would rather they die then sit with him.

"Umm, excuse me, but who are you?" She asked lightly, looking at Cirano curiously. The man turned and squinted as he took in her appearance.

"Ah! You're Lord Voltaire's cherub, Anna Jones are you not?" She raised her eyebrows. "I recognize you know. It's been years since I last saw you. What was it...when you were twelve? You've grown up quite a bit! How old are you now?" She looked at Luka who was sighing, and she glanced at the snobbish creature in annoyance.

"That's rather impolite, who are you exactly?" Even if she did meet him before – a lot had happened in the past eighteen or so years.

"Cirano Hodges, I fired him from HE several years ago." Luka supplied as he sipped at his wine. He just caught sight of the Maitre D' out of the corner of his eye. The man didn't look pleased to see that his restaurant had been rearranged.

"_You _fired him?" She asked in awe.

"Corporate take over. He wanted me to give him power over the company and after pooling our shares together I had the most ownership over HE. They wanted me to give Cirano the power to lead HE, but I fired him and gave the shares back to Kai and his loyal followers."

"They?"

"A few other inconsequentials." Through this all, Cirano seemed to not particularly care that his tragedy at HE was being discussed so easily.

"Yes well, that's the past and this is now. How are you doing my dear boy?" Hodges attention was solely on Tala now, his attempt at being polite was mostly a fraud, but the redhead knew he couldn't react the way he'd love to. Somehow blasting the man's brains out didn't seem to be the appropriate way to handle this situation.

"I'm well, listen, this is a private dinner that you're intruding on." Tala was struggling to keep his voice calm, in all honesty – he really just wanted the man to bugger off and leave them the hell alone. He hated the bastard and didn't trust him as far as Dmitri could throw him, and for a seven year old the kid was quite strong!

"It's fine if they stay Luka, I don't mind." Anna voiced easily, a smile plastered on her pretty face. The redhead glanced at her, fake smile falling slightly. Maybe she really didn't want to spend time with him. It was possible after all. He felt his heart drop into his stomach and reeled himself together for another round with Cirano.

The dinner, as it turned out, was more frustrating then it should have been. The whole time; Bitsy and Trixie, or Ditzy and Shitzy, or Annabelle and Trinity (as their mothers called them) were giggling and laughing and touching things that most certainly didn't belong to them. The girls decided to sit next to Tala for some reason or other, which left the creep Cirano next to Anna. Everyone was laughing and talking and having a grand old time.

Under the table though, Luka had removed his pistol from his side and was thumbing it. Every once and a while Anna could have _sworn _she heard the soft click of a magazine entering the shaft and a bullet cocked into the chamber. Then it would disappear. She gave the redhead disapproving looks, but he honestly was beyond caring. He was too busy glaring at his plate.

"Mr. Ivanov?" He looked up and slid his gun back into its holster as the waiter came up. He glanced up when he was finished skewering some fancy named vegetable that had come with the duck he'd ordered. "There's a call for you on line one, if you would like to take it?" He nodded his head briefly and spared Anna a glance. She seemed to be enjoying herself as she talked to the Dumb-belles and stood up to answer it.

He wasn't all that surprised to find his brother on the phone, and he glowered slightly as he covered his face with his hands. "What do you want Sacha?" He asked tiredly, his entire body flooding with exhaustion.

"Your fiancé-to-be refused to get me my pills and I'm hurting."

"Good for you, go holler for your wife and I'm sure she'll attend." He hissed darkly.

"That bad huh?" Kai's voice was soft, and Tala felt like crying.

"You'll never _guess _who's at the table with us."

"Ooh, ooh, I love this game. Give me a hint would you?"

"Tall, dark, and reeks of evil."

"Your father's alive?" Luka couldn't help it, he laughed. He laughed long and hard, and smiled brightly at the waiter who seemed genuinely pleased that he was happy at long last.

Luka wouldn't have ever told Anna this, especially considering how this night had turned out, but he had been to this restaurant _many _times as a child…and this particular waiter had been kind enough to teach him that life wasn't necessarily about training and punishments; and even strangers could be friends if you let them be. He was a Prince of Enterprise in his own right, and sometimes it felt good to be flattered. He enjoyed doing things by himself, but having someone always there was nice too.

"_Mama, I don't want to go out!" Mikhail stamped his foot in annoyance, crossing his arms over his chest. Sacha mumbled something that sounded obnoxiously like 'spoiled prat' and the older boy kicked him in the back of his leg. _

_Luka was still staring up at him with those wide blue eyes in awe. Ever since he first started living with the Ivanov family, he had been in complete and total amazement at the children that lived there. None more so then the eldest and by far the most rude of them all: Mikhail. There were admittedly few times that the older boy let the redhead sit on his lap and there were times when Mikhail treated him gently and kindly, but now certainly wasn't one of those times and all happiness was very likely to simply be flooded down the drain. _

"_Mikhail, we're going out to eat as a family and that's all there is to it!" Aya snapped as she glared at him disapprovingly for hitting her youngest son. For the first time in a long while all the other children had been adopted. There was simply no one else left. It was bizarre to have the whole house so empty, but that's what it was. It was only Mikhail and the young Beybladers who were still getting used to life without the Abbey. _

"_We shouldn't be, Dicky just left and we're celebrating?" Nikoli snickered at his eldest child's jaded tone. _

"_He has a point." The father said even as he helped his little redhead pull a jacket on. The boy had the oddest problem with staying focused at times. It was strange because if he was given orders he could follow them to a T, and yet if he was just asked to occupy himself he was looking around at everything and was so completely unaware of his surroundings that he would forget to do simple things. The boy gave him a goofy grin and hugged him when he was finished. _

"_I love you daddy." The child said sweetly. His oldest brother rolled his eyes and mimicked him from behind. Confused, but certainly not unperturbed Luka turned back. "I love you too Mikhail." _

"_Yeah, whatever kid. You know what happens to suck ups like you?" The boy frowned, shaking his head. "The waiters take them off and shove them in the kitchens where they toss you in the oven and eat you up!" The boy gasped, horrified. He looked at his father for confirmation and the man rolled his eyes._

"_Stop teasing your brother Mikhail, you won't be anywhere near the kitchens tonight." _

"_Yeah, because if we did go, you know they'd want to cook him in a pie or something." Luka looked ready to burst into tears, but the parents quickly maneuvered the boys into the car and calmed him down before things got too out of hand. The fivesome managed to get to the restaurant, and once there, three boys stared at it in awe. None of them had been to such a fancy place before, and it was a bit surprising. It was beautiful and charming, and it made Mikhail snap his mouth shut. He had no complaints if it was going to be like this. How amazing could it get?_

"_Welcome to the Red Square Lord and Lady Ivanov." The Maitre D' said benevolently. The parents smiled brightly. _

"_Ah, Sergei, it is heartwarming to see that you're still here. How are you this evening?" Aya asked as she graciously took the man's hand and was even bold enough to place a fond kiss on his cheek. _

"_I am quite well my Lady, and may I inquire as to you and your lovely family?" The boys had never seen their parents in their full renowned state of affairs. They'd always just been 'mom' and 'dad' never the Nobles that they truly were. _

"_We are very well Sergei, how is your lovely wife?"_

"_She is doing quite wonderfully indeed; she shall be honored to know that you have inquired after her. May I show you to your tables?"_

_The boys were still in a state of shock by the time their parents had ordered for them and the first course had come out. Being as young as they were they couldn't quite appreciate the fact that their food was over fifty dollars each just for the appetizers, and that the china itself was closer to a thousand dollars each. This was the royal treatment after all. _

_Which was when a cell phone went off, and Aya gave her husband a scathing look. He apologized briefly before answering it, and his face went dark. He looked towards Aya who instantly was on alert. "It's about Dicky, they want us to pick him up…" The woman rested her head in her hand and she sighed. She understood that not all foster situations were good, but surely they lasted more then twenty-four hours. What could possibly have gone wrong? This wasn't fair. She looked at her three children and sighed. _

"_Lord Ivanov?" The parents looked up to see Sergei standing there. "I hate to have admitted to overhearing your conversation, but if it would please you, perhaps the young Lords could stay here while you see to whatever problem ails you? I am certain that it will be most approved by everyone._

"_We don't want to tie up your table Serg." Nikoli said, though he was touched by the offer. _

"_Nonsense, it will be fine, I assure you. Please, I understand the good you and your wife do, and I am certain that the Red Square would be honored to show their appreciation by assisting you in your time of need."_

"_It may be a while, are you boys going to be okay?" Mikhail crossed his arms over his chest but nodded. He couldn't really say anything else. The two Abbey-mates agreed more because they didn't understand what was happening than anything else. _

"_Thank you so much Sergei, we'll be back as soon as we can." Aya removed several bills from her wallet. "Please, for the food and your kindness…whatever they want." The man nodded politely and the parents hugged their kids before hurrying out the door. _

_Mikhail watched them go, his annoyance clear. He was frustrated, and pissed off, and suddenly didn't feel like eating at all. He glanced at his brothers…his _baby _brothers and groaned. Now he'd have to play baby sitter with the brats. Their waiter certainly wasn't going to stick around. "God, this happens every time we go out. I wish they'd just listen to me and stop trying." _

"_Do you truly think that?" Mikhail glanced up at Sergei who was pouring him a fresh glass of water. _

"_Well yeah, we haven't been on one successful outing yet!" _

"_Your parents work very hard for your happiness, young Lord Ivanov. They are trying." _

"_Sure, whatever."The kindly man just smiled at them. _

"_Would you all like to come to the kitchen? Perhaps you can entertain yourselves there, it is near closing time and so there won't be much trouble if you wait." Mikhail bit his lip to keep from laughing when both Sacha and Luka's faces erupted in pure horror. They shook their head violently, grabbing __onto their older brother in honest terror. _

"_No sir!" Mikhail couldn't help it, he giggled. He bit his lip in an attempt to not laugh out harder, but Sergei caught on that he must have told them something. The waiter was oddly enough…not amused._

"Hey…you there little brother?" Tala blinked slightly in confusion, shaken from the memory of the past.

"Yeah, yeah, just remembering when Mikhail made you think the chef here was going to shove you in the oven like Hansel."

"Pfft. If I'm Hansel, you're Gretel brother dear. You were buying his bullshit long before I was."

"Whatever man, you just don't want to admit it."

"Uh-huh…so who's there anyway? You said 'tall dark and evil.'"

"Cirano and his stooges."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

"I wish. I have to go, stop friggin' interrupting would ya, you're making this hard enough as it is." He hissed quietly. There was a soft chuckle on the other end.

"Just kick them out and have a nice dinner with-" Tala had long since stopped listening. Cirano and his two idiots were walking towards him with broad smiles on their faces. Anna was following them, and from the triumphant look on Hodges's weaselly expression, Luka wondered faintly what the man had in mind.

"I took the liberty of paying for your dinner, my boy!" He was giving him an ear to ear grin, and Tala scowled instantly.

"That really, wasn't necessary." He hissed darkly, eyes traveling to where Anna clearly didn't mind about the situation.

"Nonsense, consider it a parting gift after all this time away. I'll be seeing you!" He gave Tala a pat on the shoulder and sauntered off gracefully.

"I hope you rot in hell." The redhead muttered with all the sincerity in the world before he promptly hung up on his brother. He glowered towards Anna who still didn't seem bothered with the turn of events and sighed slightly. "Have a good meal?" He asked as lightly as he could, despite the fact that he was honestly ready to kill something.

"Yes, it was lovely. Thanks for...ah...bringing me..." A scowl was firmly on the Officer's face as he caught the Maitre D's eye.

He was quiet for a little while, his eyes locked forward even as his mind replayed everything that had occurred over the past two hours. Nothing had gone the way he'd truly intended it to, and perhaps because of that he felt the irrational urge to end Cirano's life right then and there.

Murderous tendencies aside (he already had decided that that was sort of bad press), he couldn't help but think that he had completely ruined the first time he'd gone on a date with Anna in years. Nothing seemed to work out the way that he had originally planned, and it was making him rather sick to his stomach in frustration.

He wanted this night to be special, he wanted this night to be perfect. One hand slipped awkwardly into his pocket and he fumbled with what he found there. Then resolve settled in and he knew that he couldn't do it. Not now. He released it and glanced towards Anna.

"You want dessert?" He asked softly, and she frowned, surprised.

"Sure. Not a problem." She shrugged nonchalantly, and motioned for him to lead the way, certain he meant elsewhere. He smiled ever so faintly, and he told her to wait there. Frowning, she watched as he quickly approached Sergei and started talking to him in hushed tones.

The elderly man looked surprised for a brief moment, before his eyes twinkled brightly. He nodded and gallantly motioned towards a door off towards the back of the restaurant. Tala hurriedly called Anna towards him and took her hand in his.

"When I was a kid...my parents took me to the Red Square for dinner." He said again, and she glanced at the intro. "They had to leave after one of the kids that had been adopted fell through. The Maitre D' looked after Mikhail, Kai and I while we waited. He taught us how to make crepes."

"Crepes? Really? Were they any good?" The redhead laughed and shook his head.

"Not really, but it was fun to make them." Anna nodded ever so slightly, watching as Luka kept leading her deeper into the restaurant.

"What are we doing?"

"Learning how to make them again." The stunned expression on her face did nothing to hide her shock. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. She looked down at her dress and gloves and shook her head.

"We're going to get our clothes ruined -"

"We can dry clean 'em." He shrugged slightly, and that pixie smirk of his was back. He looked like the cat that ate the cannery, and she had to admit – this did sound highly more entertaining then just a regular dinner out. She certainly hadn't been expecting this.

The kitchen was filled to the brim with chefs and sous chefs and everyone under them. They were running this way and that, filling orders and trying to complete the night as efficiently as they had started. Sergei was speaking quickly to one of them, and from the confused expression on their faces it was clear that they didn't quite know what to expect about this idea.

Still, Sergei was vouching for them with an encouragingly, and one of the pastrissians stepped aside and quickly called them over. He introduced himself as Rudy and that he was just cleaning his station. He could stay for one last bake if they hurried though. They quickly settled in and Anna watched as Tala swiftly removed the jacket that he was wearing and rolled up his silk sleeves.

She followed suit, moving to place her gloves on his jacket and tying her shawl around her waist in a slight knot. He smiled brightly at her and suddenly, it didn't matter that they were in a busy kitchen and interrupting the evening of these men. It didn't matter that they were dressed completely inappropriately, it didn't matter that she thought this idea was slightly foolish...all that mattered was that she was doing something with him for the first time in so long.

Her mind faded back to their time in Italy together. The nights that they worked with Fratello in flattening out the hand-made noodles. How they mixed sauces and spices. How they compared recipes and they learned what each other liked and what they disliked. Life was simple and fun and enjoyable and it was them. Just them. Nothing else, no children, no stress, just the love they bore for one another and that was that.

Her hands reached out to help mix what their tutor was telling them to stir, when two hands reached out from behind her and covered her hands. She could almost feel him smiling as he rested his head against her shoulder to watch what they were doing. He was stirring the bowl in front of them through her. A dark blush crossed her face and she glanced back at him.

Just in time for him to steal a chaste kiss from her lips. She forced her eyes back to the bowl and couldn't believe what she was doing. She looked up at Rudy but he seemed perfectly ignorant of the redhead's flirting. He was perfectly content to just let them have at it, and if that wasn't bizarre enough, she could have sworn she'd seen a twinkle in those eyes of his.

They were flattening, and stirring, and through it all, there was Tala. Slight touches, slight flirtations. He was whispering softly to her, his voice young and yet full of vitality and aged experience. He was years in the past. This was them back in their cottage, and the sudden urge to go to Italy hit her full force.

She smiled at him with teeth flashing, and eyes glittering. The chefs around them were slowly filtering out, and she belatedly realized that the restaurant had closed and that everyone was simply waiting for them. They were just waiting for the baking to be finished, and Sergei assured everyone that he was more then a little capable of taking care of that if they wanted to be off.

They watched as they were slowly left alone, a timer was set and they were alone in the kitchen. Blue eyes spied a radio and seconds later soft music was floating through the kitchen. Within seconds Anna was laughing so hard her sides had stitched. She covered her mouth with her hands, tears coming to his eyes as the tell tale chords of Queen's _Somebody To Love _came out.

A shit-eating grin came across her date's face and suddenly his hands had hers in them and he pulled her to him. Spinning and taking steps that were well practiced from their time in _Les Miserables, _they were dancing, flying around the kitchen with a youthful innocence that they hadn't shared in ages.

She couldn't stop laughing, and through the laughing: she couldn't stop loving this blue eyed _boy _who was singing and dancing with her in this restaurant's kitchen at eleven-thirty at night. She hadn't felt so happy and so in love in so long, and it was a feeling that she was grinning ear to ear with witless abandon.

Even as the song started to come to an end, and he was laughing royally along with her, she couldn't keep her eyes off him. He was snickering about something though, and he raised his hands to cup her cheeks in his hands. His thumbs started to rub something from her face, and she realized that her flour-logged fingers had inadvertently gotten her covered in white dust while she'd been laughing earlier. He was snickering brightly though, not at her per-say...but certainly he was finding it entertaining.

Fuelled by a sudden need to not be the only one a mess, she sneakily scooped some up and threw it at him without so much as a thought to his clothes or what his reaction might be. Startled certainly – blue eyes blinked at her in confusion for just a brief moment before suddenly she was horrified by a memory of one too many food-fights in Voltaire's mansion.

"Uh...umm...Lu..." She took a step back in honest to goodness concern as he approached with a wolfish grin. His arms shot out and scooped her up, spinning her around so that she was suddenly laying on the table. His hands were everywhere – tickling and ruining her dress with as much dedication as he'd portrayed in a flawless painting.

She was squealing with laughter, incapable of keeping the rancour down as she tried to get away from his expert fingers. She was struggling to get away from him and yet she couldn't do it. A part of her wasn't really trying all that hard. She didn't care much for her hair that was falling from its style, or the dress that was wrinkled and flour filled at the moment. She couldn't help but fall completely and totally in love once more for this redheaded devil who had charmed her so many years ago.

Lips met hers suddenly, and this was no chaste kiss either. Her eyes stared up, in breathless wonder as she looked at him. He was so relaxed and so completely willing. Putty in her hands, his hands were on either side of her head, crouched over her with simple and honest affection. Her lips and his moved together, and as more songs filled the air, she was ignorant to them all.

He pulled back from her, and they looked at each other. Breathless and alive once more, their worlds had finally at long last synced back to the way that it was so long ago, and she couldn't believe that she had missed nearly seven years of this.

A shrill scream cut through the mood of the night, and both of them frowned in incomprehension before gasping in unison. "The oven!" Both flew towards it and Tala opened it as fast as he could – grabbing the pan without thinking.

Even as adrenaline pumped through him, it didn't take long before the heat scorched his palm. He hissed and reaction dictated he drop it. The pan slammed down on the oven and the crepes tilted precariously towards the floor. Even as Luka backed away and held his burnt hand hostage – Anna jumped in and (with oven mitts) saved the dessert. She tossed them on the stove before spinning around and staring at him in horror.

"Your hand?" She gasped even as a thin sheen of perspiration covered his head. He was in obvious pain. He moved himself towards the sink and let the cold water run over it. She hurried towards him and looked at it.

"You're the luckiest person I know." She mumbled at the blister that had formed – there was no other sign of any deep dermis burning. He'd released the pan with more then enough time.

"Thanks. I feel real lucky right now." He groused as he closed his eyes for a brief moment. "Anna?" He whispered softly. She glanced up at him. "I know that things are a bit complicated back at home...I know that things aren't always the best, but you know? I had a lot of fun tonight. Even if dinner sucked." She laughed at the mumbled commentary she was certain that she wasn't really supposed to overhear. "It's been a real long time since we've done anything just the two of us."

"Yeah; it has, hasn't it?"

"You want to do this more often?" He was looking straight at her and with such an intensity that she frowned ever so slightly.

"Yes, of course. Tonight was wonderful Luka."

"I was thinking of a vacation, we haven't really figured what we're going to do with the ISA and the like. I'm inclined to never go back, focus more on the school."

"Vacation? That sounds nice, where to?"

"I don't know. It could be up to you if you really want...I just...have one condition." She nodded, mind already going straight back to Italy and their cottage.

"Anything." His hand reached into his pocket, and pulled something out – flipping it open with an odd grace despite the fact his hand was still burnt.

"Will you marry me, _before_ the honeymoon?"

And there, under the tear filled eyes of a man who had watched this same scene years before with this boy's parents, with the crepes growing cold on the stove and a burnt hand still running under cold water, only one word filled the space. One single word that was the single final conclusion to this very long and drawn out relationship that finally had come to its conclusion.

"Yes."

* * *

They were in the car on the way back, Luka's smile never once fading, despite the third-degree burn on his hand. The ring was different from the previous attempts, apparently he was certain that it was cursed and had tried a different one for luck. It worked and Anna kept staring at it.

"Hey...there's something that I need to tell you." She said suddenly, looking at him with a seriousness that belayed her initial excitement. In a way she was happy to know that this was done before she'd broken her own news. It was nice to feel like he was stepping up to responsibility and that this was something that he honestly wanted to do...unless what Kai said was right and he had already known... He was looking at her curiously though, and so she stepped up to what she decided that she needed to do. "I...I'm pregnant...again." His smile was the same as last time and yet it also betrayed a devious nature, and she caught that look before he squashed it. Damn it all – Kai was right! "You knew? Who told you?"

He shook his head though. "I guessed, you were acting the same way you were when you were thinking about TJ-"

"Does everyone know about that nickname?"

"Most everyone yeah." She groaned. "You don't like it?"

"That kid's just starting to go by his real name and now we're giving him nicknames."

"Hey, it comes with the family." He snickered again. "No one told me, I figured it out for myself, and was just hoping really...besides...we didn't exactly use protection in that closet." There was that incorrigible grin again, and her face erupted into another blush. "If you're worried about this..." He motioned towards her ring. "That was planned before I figured it out, think of it as an engagement seven years in waiting." He winked at her and she smiled at him, their fingers interlocking.

Pulling up the driveway into the school grounds, they parked the car out front the main dorm that they had built. He opened the door for her and they stared up at the building and all the surrounding land. They walked inside, and the moment the door was open screams and shouts of excitement rained down on them with party favors exploding and the sounds of family echoed everywhere.

"Welcome home." Came the soft and incredibly welcome voice of Luka, as his arms wrapped around her waist. She couldn't stop the tear of true happiness that leaked from her eye as she looked at her sleepy son smiling in her adopted son's arms, and the true look of pure love coming from everyone's faces.

"It's good to be home."

* * *

**Epilogue:**

**

* * *

**

The pews were uncomfortable, and the central air system had broken the night before. No one would admit it, but it was perhaps the longest ceremony anyone had imagined possible. Between the five-hundred odd people that were squished into the church that could barely hold twenty, and the uncommonly annoying heat-wave that had hit them at seven in the morning everyone was miserable and waiting for the vows to be done so they could just rush out into their cars and embrace the sweet chill of air conditioning.

In the front row sat Adrien Hiwatari and his siblings. The twins were only toddlers, barely two years old at that point. Niko (named after his paternal grandfather) couldn't stop fidgeting with his bowtie, and Jeanie (certainly _not_ named after her bitch of a grandmother) couldn't seem to stop making it worse by tugging its edges. Their older brother was supposed to be responsible for them, and he had been doing a good job for the majority of the ceremony but now it was dragging on forever. He couldn't believe how easily his mother, Adeline Hiwatari nee Napoleon, had gotten off when she'd requested that he help with the kids. He was trapped trying to tell the toddlers to calm down and knock it off.

It seemed a bit rude to talk during a wedding though, so his attempts were few and far between. Usually he spent the ceremony sending exasperated looks towards his best friend on his left. Kiril Lukov was one year older and yet not a day more mature then his younger companion. He was busy riling up _his _younger brother, who at seven was showing a much more appropriate church behavior then any of the other children on the pew. Dmitri was staring straight ahead; purposefully ignoring his excitable sibling and watching his parents finally join together in matrimony.

On his left was Voltaire Hiwatari, his great-grandfather on his father's side. The elderly man was holding his hand and occasionally would give it a squeeze as though to supply some form of comfort. The redheaded child hardly cared or understood the man's desire to shed such emotion towards him; they'd only met twice before after all.

All things considered though; despite the obvious lack of maturity of three of the five people on the pew, the over crowded conditions, and the unbearable heat, the ceremony was beautiful. Anna Ottilia Jones was little over five foot six, and had dark brown hair pulled back in a delicate bun. Flowers were proudly worn as a make shift crown that Adeline had insisted on. The veil was traditional and yet was comprised of the finest of material. The gown was not pure white, but just the faintest of an off white. It was required of course, she had not been virginal and the seven year old on the pew out front was proof enough of that if the slight belly bump wasn't.

She steadfastly refused to wear high-heels, but the flats were beautiful enough; another one of Adeline's feats. If it was the most hideous of fashions somehow she could make it look right. Anna was grateful for it at this moment though, everyone was. She had wanted Adeline as her maid of honor, but the woman honestly looked so stressed out with the idea of having to leave the twins in the care of someone else during the ceremony that things had gotten a bit messed up. Adeline had served her duties for the majority of the service, but when Niko and Jeanie decided to start getting annoyed she excused herself and sat in the front row and tried to mind the twins. Anna didn't particularly care.

She glanced towards where Tristen Michaels was sitting not too far away in the continuation of the first row, and couldn't help but remember how he had kindly offered to walk her down the isle. It had been a toss up for a while who would do it. Voltaire had offered, and she'd almost accepted because of how much he had been a part of her life lately. However it was Michaels who had been there for many years and had been the one to introduce her to her father (God rest his soul). In the end there had been no contest.

He was sitting beside Mikhail Ivanov who had his arms crossed and was trying his best to not get too involved in the ceremony. Anyone could tell that he was enjoying himself though despite his frequent attempts at scowling – what a jerk. Ivan Papov, Spencer Brevda, Tyson Granger, Max Tate, and Rei Long were next to him.

Tala Ivanov, more commonly known as Luka these days, stood across from his bride. His black tuxedo and white dress shirt were stylish and cut perfectly to match his body. He'd have to thank Adeline later. That woman knew how to dress people; one look at the majority of those attending the service could show that. Particularly her husband who seemed more then a little used to her ways by now. He stepped out of his duties and let his wife dress his best friend for him, and everyone was thankful. He'd barely been able to dress himself properly for his wedding, and no one wanted a repeat of that performance.

Kai Hiwatari was at Tala's right, and as usual he was his right hand man and in this case: Best Man. There was little contest on that front. Bryan was a close second, but everyone had known that it would be Kai standing next to his brother. Though not joined by blood, the redheaded former Beyblade Champion had been adopted many years prior and it was simply true friendship that had made that brotherhood come to life.

Tala's real blood brother, Kiril, was far too young to even remember much of their blood parents. At only seventeen years of age, the boy could hardly tell anyone what his parents even looked like, and for much of his life had considered his brother to be more of a father then anything else.

Kai though, Kai and Tala had been best friends and brothers since they were toddlers themselves. So it was a give-in that Kai would stand as Tala's Best Man just as Tala had stood in for Kai on his wedding day. Bryan was next to Kai though, the ever present reminder that there was always someone there no matter what.

The priest was finishing his spiel, and the heat was so unbearable at this point that Adeline actually looked as though she would be forced to leave the service with the twins to keep them from suffering through it. They were far too young to be this hot. Even fair-tempered Dmitri was shifting and finally starting to lose his patience at his _brother _who was still poking and prodding him.

"Kiril…" Bronze hair flying, brown eyes turned to look at Adrien who was leaning closer. Adeline and Voltaire were both glaring at them, but they were so exhausted with this ceremony that they honestly couldn't stand the silence one moment longer. "What are they gonna say for your brother's name?"

"I don't know, but if they say the whole thing we're gonna be here till I'm fucking fifty." The older teen mumbled. He felt a sharp kick in the back of the leg. Dmitri was looking at him like he'd stripped naked right there in the church and he scowled. "What was that for half-pint?" He ground out in the only language the boy truly understood properly – Italian oddly enough.

"Non è permesso maledizione in chiesa." The boy snapped back, quietly though so as not to disrupt the ceremony. Kiril glanced towards the alter where he could have sworn he saw Tala struggling not to laugh. He seemed to be failing though – he was biting his lip and his shoulders were shaking slightly. Apparently Tri hadn't been nearly as silent as he'd attempted to be, and the easily translated statement was properly entertaining coming out of the little boy's mouth. "It's the house of God…" The boy continued, arms crossed. "Be polite."

Anna seemed to have overheard the rebuke by now too because her shoulders were shaking and anyone could tell from the dark blush on her face that she was struggling to hold her breath or else she'd break down into laughter. The priest continued on though, ignoring the obvious cause of the bride and groom's entertainment. "Now…"

"Here it comes." Adrien mumbled as he pulled Jeanie's hands away from her brother's bow tie. The little boy was just about ready to smack his sister and the girl was just close enough to deserving it too.

"Yuri Luka Tala Valkov _Nikov_, do you take Anna Ottilia Jones, for your lawful wedded wife according to the rite of our Holy Mother, the Catholic Church?"

"I do." He turned to face his bride, glancing just enough towards the younger members of his family. He sent the teenagers a sharp warning look and then it softened and he took his future wife's hands. "I, Yuri Luka Tala Valkov Nikov-" He pointedly ignored the snickering "take you, Anna Ottilia Jones for my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part." His face had erupted into a brilliant smile to which Anna delightfully returned.

"And do you, Anna Ottilia Jones, take Yuri Luka Tala Valkov Nikov, for your lawful wedded husband according to the rite of our Holy Mother, the Catholic Church?"

"I, Anna Ottilia Jones, take you, Yuri Luka Tala Valkov Iv-_Nikov_-" Forth times the charm and it seemed like even she was exasperated at the length of it. Kiril opened his mouth but the glare was back and he grinned sheepishly. He really did know better. "For my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

Kai pulled the golden band that he'd been keeping in his pocket during the ceremony. His hand reached out and touched his brother's shoulder before passing it to him with a wry smile. "Congrats man." He whispered. The redhead smiled back as he took the ring that was being offered to him. Kiril was sighing and shifting uncomfortably.

Tala was sorely tempted to tell the boy to knock it off and deal with it, but he understood there was a time and a place for things. For instance: the reception. He was going to murder the annoying hormonal upstart at the reception. Brilliant idea. His fingers slipped around his new wife's ring, and slowly held it out to her. "With this ring I thee wed, and pledge thee my troth…to you I give my heart, my home, and my love, now and forever." She smiled beautifully and watched as the ring slipped onto her slim finger. Then she took his own ring, and repeated those words; binding their souls as one, under the eyes of the church and before the gaze of all of their loved ones.

"I now pronounce you, man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Well shit, did that cause an uproar.

Lips met lips faster then oxygen to lungs. His hand flew around her neck, the veil vanished somewhere during the exploding applause. Kiril and Adrien were hooting, Kai was sharing knowing looks with his own wife. The twins were crying loudly at all the noise, and through it all – the newly weds were delighted.

Their relationship had been the longest out of everyone. Even Adeline and Kai had known each other for less time then they had been acquainted. This marriage had been a long time coming too, Kiril had been adopted and Dmitri had been born and raised. It was about damn time that they finally tied the knot. Especially with the little miss on her way.

They'd just gone to the doctor recently, a tiny baby girl was definitely on the way, and no one could deny the fact that Luka was absolutely psyched about it. Even if the twin monsters were starting to out-weigh their entertainment. Nikoli was pleasant enough. He seemed rather fair-tempered and gentle, but his sister was entirely too high strung for a two year old.

"Mine!" She shouted as she tugged his tie once more. The blonde child had had more then enough and he slapped at her hand.

"No!" Adeline winced slightly and looked at her twins and sighed in frustration. Now that the 'I dos' were done it seemed that everyone was ready to just run out that door.

"Adrien, can you take her?" Dmitri stood up suddenly and threw his arms around the blonde.

"Me, please?" He asked hopefully, eyes filling with that age old Ivanov look that was just about to die for. She hesitated just long enough for him to grab the eldest twin from under his arms and started to drag him after his parents and the procession out the door. Adeline winced as she watched Niko clearly wobble uncomfortably in the seven year old's precarious hold.

"Don't worry, we'll watch them." Kiril assured her with a peck on the cheek. He hurried after his brother and she couldn't help but look towards her grand-father in law.

"Oh Voltaire...whatever am I to do with those kids?" She lamented lightly even as he took her arm and winked.

"We'll just have to make do with what we have hmm?"

The age old confidence was something that was apparently in the blood. Voltaire Luka had it, Kiril had it, Kai had it, and from the way Dmitri was dragging Nikoli about – he had it to. Sure, the former "Ivanov" clan wasn't quite blood related to Voltaire, but damn did they blur genetic lines at times.

That had been perhaps the biggest change recently. After the bizarre instances that led up to Tala's proposal to Anna, the brunette had suggested the official change to the much more traditional styling of his name. It wasn't hard to do, and despite how everyone had been following the Western style of name giving, he had agreed and so had Kiril – him being the oddest case of everyone so far.

Tala had agreed to going by 'Nikov' – following the Russian tradition of taking the father's _first _name and using that as the last name. His father was Nikoli Ivanov, and therefore, he would be Luka Nikov. It was as simple as that. Kiril, while not related at all to Nikoli had taken Ivanov because it was the name that Tala had been going by. He was much more attached to the new last name he'd receive because of tradition: Lukov. Kiril Lukov. A name that meant much more to him then anyone could guess.

The reception was the exact opposite of the ceremony. Laughing and joking, everyone was finally in a much cooler environment and things were finally starting to go right again. Anna and Tala were busy laughing and joking with each other, their eyes filled with love and adoration for one another. There was nothing except true and honest to goodness happiness.

There was a quiet clank against some china, and everyone looked up, their eyes going to where Kai was standing. He had a huge smile on his face and from the devious look in his eye, anyone could tell that this was going to be fun for everyone except his redheaded brother who was mumbling something about how he should have picked a different best man.

"Now that's just mean." Kai said with a rather put out look on his face. "Here I had thought up this wonderful speech, and you're mocking me!"

"Just get on with it Sacha." Invoking the heir's birth name usually got a rise out of him, but tonight he was too happy (and probably too buzzed) to care much. He raised his glass ever so slightly.

"I'd like to propose a toast." The teasing look faded ever so slightly. "Twenty-four years ago, I was given the best Christmas present anyone could ask for. Sure he whined, and screamed and yelled, and he hit back whenever I poked him..." Those red eyes were twinkling fondly. "But he was mine: my own stupid brother that I got stuck with ever since. Mikhail really had it worst off, he got landed with both of us and if I was him I would have rather died then deal with us and our crazy ideas any longer-" The swat landed hard on the back of his head and Kai scowled slightly at his older (sort of) brother who wasn't amused by his attempt at humor. Though everyone else had laughed at it and even Mikhail cracked a small smirk. "Anyway, there he was in my _room. _Screaming and crying and making no sense whatsoever, and looking back on it I should have asked for a better roommate!" That earned a few giggles and head shakes, and his eyes suddenly became serious. "But the truth is, there could never be a better roommate then you Luka. You've been the best brother, friend, and Captain I've ever had the privilege to serve under.

"You've saved the world and you've risked your life. You've been a prisoner of war, missing in action, and any other acronym they'd like to label you with. People can say whatever they like, they can say whatever they want to from now until the end of time...but I can honestly say that only the people in this room will ever know you, and only I know what you said to me the night of my wedding. It wasn't nearly as glamorous as this, but the words still meant everything to me.

"So here's some for you: marriage and family isn't about the love. You've loved each other since you were sixteen...but this isn't what's going to make it through. Cause when she's begging for some pistachio ice cream and you just got in from a thirty-six hour shift: it's the like that makes you turn around and go back out and get some. When she's giving birth and five hours in the wrong country, it's the like that makes you go out and see her. When she's sick and throwing up, it's the like that has you next to her.

"No one's ever doubted your love for each other, but they have doubted how much you like each other. The past year has been hard on everyone, but if there's one thing that I have to say: right now...in this moment...there's not a soul in here that can doubt that you two pulled through. How much you two like each other is so obvious that it's drowning out how much you love each other.

"So all I have to say right now, is to you-" He raised his glass. "May you always like each other, and may you always love each other, because if one of you stops we're bound to be shot at again and I'm sick of it! To you, congrats man, I knew it'd happen eventually." There was a deafening applause Kai took a long sip of champaign and a misty eyed Tala stood and gave him a hug. Anna was next, whispering a thank you to him even as he gave her a gentle squeeze. "And now I think _my _wife wants to say something!" He teased lightly even as the pretty blonde stepped forwards.

"Yes I do." She was smiling brightly and the crowd settled down to let her speak. "When I first met you two, it was when Kai was practicing to be my partner for my coming out party." There were a few laughs at that, and a blush crossed her feature for just a moment. "I was sixteen and was trying to figure out why my partner preferred to sulk in a corner instead of talk to me, and then this brunette girl comes running in and suddenly he starts chatting away, and yes, to me, Anna dear – you were most definitely his girlfriend!" Everyone burst out laughing at that, and Kai's mouth dropped.

"What seriously? You actually thought that me and Anna...? Ugh!" He was making so many faces that the laughter just continued. "That's just sick..."

"So I did what any normal person did: I stormed off and fell down the stairs right into her future husband's hands!" She gave Kai a look that clearly showed that she was humoring him. "That's when I saw you two together for the first time." A look of contentment crossed her face. "For the first time in my life, I witnessed what could only be described as true love. The most beautiful relationship I'd ever seen.

"We spent time together in Italy only a few years after that, and once again you proved yourselves. So many things have happened, so much time has passed. It's been a long time since the first day we met, and while we're all very different...we're also the same. You two have that look in your eyes that you did when Tala lifted Anna off the ground and spun her about. Love, and friendship that knows no bounds.

"I knew at that moment that you were destined for each other, and I'm happy to see that this day has finally come. Tala – you are a remarkable friend, a dependable father, and one of the bravest men that I have ever had the privilege of meeting. Anna – you're the closest thing I have to a sister, you're smart and strong, and one of the most courageous people I know. You two have something special here, and words cannot describe how thrilled every person in this room is to know you finally found each other at long last." She raised her glass. "To you, and that precious girl that you're going to finally be able to raise together." Cheering erupted everywhere, thunderous applause and a bit of drunken thrills were coming from all directions.

For the first time in a long time, life felt good.

~The End~

**Windstar: **Thanks to everyone who read this fanfiction. I truly appreciate it! Marishika91 and FlamingIce94 you two made my day every time you reviewed! Thanks very much!

So here I suppose some confessions need to be made.

1. When I was writing OTT I originally named Anna, Anna Ottilia. However, half way through I forgot I had given her a last name and had renamed her Anna Jones. Because of it, I had to figure out how to explain the switch. The plot bunny for the entire Ottilia problems? Came from a simple typo!

2. When I was researching the Russian history of last names, I realized I made a huge mistake by calling Tala and Kai's father Nikoli. However, by that point kids had already been named in homage and there was no doubt that there were countless chapters written about it. Because of that mistake, the scene above where they finally go back to their roots and return to their proper name calling: Kiril/Dmitri Lukov, and Luka Nikov is finally accurate.

Neat fact: One Hundred Chosen has a lot to do with bitbeasts and the like. Because of it, I did some research. Fifty-six bitbeasts have been accounted for across all three seasons of beyblade!

Now, once again, thanks to all of my reviewers and readers. I love you all mightily. OHC wont be out for a while, but I am working on it so that it becomes satisfactory to me.

As always, I'm also working on my own original story - The Carpediem series.

Someone asked recently what Carpediem means, and it means simply this: Seize the day.

That's one thing that I want all of you to do, no matter what, seize the day. Have fun, and never forget that life's full of changes and good luck to you all through it!

It's been a fun ride, hopefully I'll see you soon!

~ Arin Maximus


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